Handwriting expert says signature was not forged

An international handwriting expert today ruled out claims by a wrongly-arrested murder suspect that detectives forged his signature on statements.

Frank McBrearty Jr insisted he never signed a number of official Garda documents being examined as evidence at the Morris Tribunal.

These included written statements, custody records and a search permit from December 1996, when he was interrogated as the prime suspect for the murder of a cattle dealer in Donegal.

It was since found Richie Barron died in a hit-and-run collision and Mr McBrearty Jr and several members of his extended family also arrested in the botched death probe were innocent of any involvement.

Forensic handwriting expert Dr Robert Radley was asked by the tribunal investigating Garda corruption to examine six questioned signatures on documents identified by Mr McBrearty Jr.

“In my opinion I have no reservation on any of these questioned signatures,” he said.

“When I say in my opinion I consider it was written by Mr McBrearty I have no doubts in my mind.”

Dr Radley is an international expert in his field with 25 years' experience.

His practice is the longest established private independent laboratory of its kind in the UK.

His evidence has been used in court cases in countries including Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore and Malta as well as Hong Kong.

“The converse way of looking at it is how likely is it that somebody could actually copy any one of these signatures or the whole group of signatures,” he told the tribunal.

“And I find that is so unlikely that in realistic terms I believe that possibility could be disregarded.”

Asked by tribunal barrister Paul McDermott SC if that was the highest-level confidence in his judgment, he replied: “You can’t get more confident than that.”

He added: “In my opinion Mr McBrearty wrote these. Full stop.”

The expert outlined evidence that the signatures were “rapidly scribbled”, which was not consistent with forgeries.

“Even (with) the really top-notch penmen, the forgers that we study, you don’t see that,” he said.

“To be able to rapidly execute a very good copy of somebody’s signature is way, way beyond most people’s capabilities. Although it is sometimes thought that practice makes perfect this just is not true.

“I could practice all day, every day, and I would never simulate this signature well.”

Dr Radley said forgery was “a God-given talent”. Top-notch forgers, referred to as “adept penmen” in the trade, didn’t need any practice to reproduce a convincing false signature, he told the hearing.