Retired garda denies knowledge of prisoners 'boxing'

A retired garda detective superintendent today claimed he had never heard of ’boxing’ - an irreverent garda term to get suspects to tell the truth.

The phrase, relating to the Catholic confessional box, emerged at the Morris Tribunal as counsel for the inquiry Paul McDermott SC pressed witnesses about bugging garda stations.

He asked ex-officer John McGinley if he knew what it was to “box a prisoner”.

The former chief, who left the force in 2005 with his career tarnished by poor police operations in Donegal, said it meant nothing to him.

“I don’t know anything about it, no, I don’t,” Mr McGinley said. Rather than relating to physical abuse or beatings, ’boxing’ refers to the confession box in a church and gardai attempting to entice the truth out of suspects.

Mr McDermott said it could involve an officer telling a prisoner he knew all about a certain crime, including who the culprit was, or that another suspect had turned informer.

He also said it may involve covert recording of conversations between suspects, or with relatives and even with lawyers to use against them in interviews.

But Mr McGinley insisted it was all new to him.

“That’s the first I heard of it,” he said.

The practice was suggested as the tribunal probed claims by shamed ex-detective John White that a visiting room in Letterkenny Garda Station was bugged in 1996 during the botched investigation into the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron.

The allegation is supported by two others. Garda Tina Fowley, who broke rank to help uncover corruption, claims she witnessed senior officers talking about using technical teams to try to glean information from suspects.

Retired Garda John Dooley, who last year blew the whistle on systematic abuse of suspects, has claimed he saw White and former garda surveillance expert Joseph Costelloe talking about bugging the station.

Mr McGinley began his evidence by insisting he knew nothing about covert surveillance.

“As far as I’m concerned it didn’t happen,” he said.

He was a uniformed inspector at the time and a year later secured a promotion to plain clothes inspector role.

Mr McGinley’s retirement was agreed following a meeting with the Garda Commissioner in June 2005 after the second tribunal report was published.

He was found to have been partly to blame for the botched Barron hit-and-run inquiry.

Mr McGinley admitted at the tribunal in 2006 he changed interview notes a year after they were taken and at one stage candidly described the Barron investigation as a cock-up.