Publican searched garden for spies, tribunal told

A Donegal man wrongly arrested in a botched murder investigation searched his garden with a torch for spies because he was so traumatised by the police interrogation, the Morris tribunal heard today.

Frank McBrearty Jnr said he became psychologically ill after his 12-hour grilling at Letterkenny Garda Station on December 4, 1996.

He was suspected of murdering Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron in October of that year who was later found to have been the victim of a hit-and-run road accident.

Mr McBrearty told the inquiry in Donegal Town that he was “searching the garden for Guards” with a torch at all hours of the night and attributed his “erratic” behaviour to his experience at the hands of the Garda.

“Over a period of months after my second arrest and the harassment that our pub started to receive I became psychologically ill and when you are psychologically ill you say things that you thought you think but you probably don’t think.”

The witness owns a pub in Raphoe. He was arrested a second time on February 4, 1997 about a separate assault on Edward Moss but was later cleared.

He told the hearing that Detective Sergeant John White was “foaming at the mouth” during the 1997 interview and asked him to admit to the Barron death.

He was never convicted of any offence and was awarded €1.5m and given an apology by the Government last month in an out-of-court settlement.

He also told the hearing: “The Donegal politicians at that time and still to this day have had blind eyes and deaf ears to this scandal.”

He added that human rights campaigner Mgr Denis Faul had met him at his Elmwood Downs home in Letterkenny and accepted some gardai were corrupt, advising him to say nothing during interview.

The 37-year-old said he was kicked and slapped around the ears while police tried to force a confession. He maintains that he never signed a false confession to the death.

The hearing continues.