Garda heard raised voices in interview room, tribunal told

A garda sergeant said today he did not think the raised voices he heard during the interview of a female prisoner warranted his intervention.

Sergeant Michael Carroll was conducting an interview with Donegal woman Charlotte Peoples in Letterkenny Garda station, who has said that she could hear her cousin being called a ’lying bitch’ in an interview next door.

At the Morris Tribunal, Sergeant Carroll said he did not accept this because he had only been able to hear raised voices.

“I couldn’t hear what words were being used next door. I heard loud voices coming from next door but if it was shouting and roaring, I’m sure I would be able to hear what is going on next door,” he said.

He added that although he personally would never raise his voice with a female prisoner, the volume of noise didn’t warrant him going in next door.

The tribunal has heard evidence from Mrs Peoples that she pleaded with Sergeant Carroll and his colleague, Detective Garda Michael Jennings, to go next door to stop what was happening.

Mrs Peoples and Mrs McConnell were among 12 people who had been arrested on December 4, 1996 for questioning about the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron in Raphoe.

Sergeant Carroll denied that Mrs Peoples asked him to intervene, although he did admit that she had been crying and very upset when he came into the interview room.

“I asked her what was wrong and she said they were shouting at Roisin next door. I said well, look to compose herself, that we weren’t going to be doing any shouting at her, that all we wanted to do was ask questions.”

The tribunal has heard evidence from Detective Garda John Dooley and Sergeant John White that they showed Roisin McConnell graphic photos of Richie Barron’s post mortem, used aggressive and abusive language and asked her if she knew that her husband was ’riding’ someone.

Sergeant Carroll said that although he now knew these two officers had engaged in improper behaviour, he didn’t know it at the time.

“If I did, I hoped I would have been strong enough to go and do something about it, so that I would ensure that no-one would be treated in an improper manner,” he said.

Judge Frederick Morris asked him if the reassurance he had given to Mrs Peoples about her treatment was a quasi-acknowledgement that what was going on in the other interview room ’shouldn’t have been going on’.

Sergeant Carroll said said Mrs Peoples was a sick woman, who was on medication for pleurisy, a lung infection, and that she was co-operating with him.

“There was no need for me to raise my voice in any manner or fashion with this lady,” he said.

He denied Mrs Peoples’ claim that he had touched her on the shoulder during the interview to reassure her that she would not be mistreated like her cousin.

“I would be a very foolish man if I put my hand on Mrs Peoples as that would leave me open to an allegation of assault. For me to put my hand on her, would leave myself open to that type of allegation. I would not and did not,” he said.