Publican 'arrested on word of criminals'

A publican arrested during a botched murder probe today claimed he was taken in for questioning by gardai on the word of criminal informers.

Frank McBrearty Senior’s home in Raphoe, Co Donegal, was raided by 14 garda officers, including four superintendents, 10 years ago during an investigation into the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron.

Mr McBrearty’s son and nephew were the prime suspects in the murder case but it was later found that Mr Barron died in a hit-and-run crash and his death had nothing to do with them.

The garda cover-up following the wrongful arrests ultimately led to the Morris Tribunal and the unravelling of a web of corruption within the force.

Mr McBrearty Snr told the tribunal he had just arrived home from Dublin, where he had been meeting Labour Party TD Joan Burton about his family’s mistreatment by gardai, when his house was raided.

He said officers laughed and sniggered throughout the search and called his family “the Mafia”.

He claimed a personal photograph of himself at a party was taken and later put up at Letterkenny Garda Station with the words “The Don” written on it.

He told the hearing he was never offered or given a receipt for items taken from the house during the search and that officers cracked his ceiling while in his attic.

Mr McBrearty Snr was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against The State Act and taken to Letterkenny Garda Station for interrogation.

“I shouldn’t even have been arrested. None of us (should have). We were all innocent people. We were arrested by the word of criminals,” he said.

“There was no proper feedback about what these people were up to, the guards - (Garda) John O’Dowd and the team and the criminals they used, the informers they used.”

“If this had have been done we would not have been arrested and we wouldn’t have been questioned about anything because we’re innocent people,” he said.