Morris Tribunal witness agrees to testify

A man treated as a suspect over the death of Donegal cattle dealer Richie Barron has agreed to appear before the Morris Tribunal to give evidence, it was confirmed today.

Justice Frederick Morris, chairman of the tribunal into garda corruption, said High Court action would not be necessary after Donegal man, Mark McConnell, sent an e-mail to officials indicating he would appear on an acceptable date.

Earlier this week, Mr McConnell, whom gardai wrongfully arrested in relation to the death of Mr Barron in 1996, failed to attend the tribunal’s sub-module into his detention.

Justice Morris said: “Mr McConnell has written to me, or by way of e-mail, to confirm he is available to give evidence on a date which is acceptable to the tribunal.”

He added: “So in those circumstances it no longer becomes necessary to make an application to the High Court and any steps taken in that direction will now be withdrawn.

“I am very grateful that arrangements have been made which are acceptable both to the tribunal and to Mr McConnell and we welcome him here to give evidence when he comes.”

Both Mr McConnell and his cousin Frank McBrearty jnr were arrested and treated as suspects in the death which the tribunal has heard was later designated as a result of a hit-and-run collision.

Complaints from a number of wrongly arrested suspects in the "murder" case, including the McBrearty family’s allegations of garda corruption, ultimately led to the tribunal.

Mr McBrearty jnr has said he will not attend the inquiry.

The tribunal is currently hearing evidence from gardai in relation to the forging and altering of an officer’s interview notes on the original record during the murder probe.

Supt John McGinley, who was a detective inspector at the time, admitted to the tribunal he had asked another officer to forge garda files to remove two questions he put to Roisin McConnell from the official record.

The inspector, who recently retired, interrogated the mother-of-two, who was wrongfully arrested on December 4, 1996, in connection with Mr Barron’s death.

Mr McGinley said he asked Sgt Brian McEntee to approach Det Gda John Harkin, who was responsible for taking down the notes during the interview, to amend them to exclude the two questions. But Mr McGinley said he did not know how the altered notes then made their way into the system.

Justice Morris urged the officers involved in the conspiracy to remove documents from the incident room to give more detail of the plan to carry it out.

“I think that is essential for me to know. I find it very hard to accept that none of the three participants in this enterprise is in a position to inform me as to what happened after the agreement was reached between them,” he said.

“I want to make it known that if any of them feel they have information which would be of assistance to me in this aspect of the matter that I am still available to hear that and I would welcome them back to the witness box to tell me the detail.”

He added: “I make no secret of the fact, that it may well be, that in achieving their objective they involved others and I need to know what exactly was going on in Letterkenny Garda station at the time.”

Justice Morris urged their legal representatives to remind their clients of their obligation to tell the whole story.