Gardaí swamped with rape investigations, tribunal told

Eight rapes were reported within a seven-week period in one Donegal Garda district in the late 1990s, it emerged today.

Ex-Superintendent Kevin Lennon, who was in charge of the Letterkenny division in 1997, told the Morris Tribunal he was so swamped with paperwork and matters of very serious crime he did not have time to devote to allegations of garda harassment from a local publican.

Raphoe nightclub owner Frank McBrearty Senior had accused certain officers of singling out his business for excessive inspections and unfair enforcement of the liquor licensing laws.

But Mr Lennon said he believed the inspections justified because there existed a public order problem in Raphoe and he had other matters to attend to.

"I had taken up a new district and there were very serious matters going on besides one singular issue with a pub in Raphoe.

"I think that year I had eight rapes in seven weeks reported and very other serious crimes."

Despite receiving calls from a private investigator on behalf of Mr McBrearty about the alleged harassment, the former senior officer, who was sacked after it was revealed he had set-up hoax IRA dumps to further his career, said he "probably" made enquiries about it.

"I had 171 personnel under my command. I had 10 or 11 stations to administer for and I had inspections to carry out," he said.

"I had about 300 warrants a month, I had the accounting procedures, I had to look after border policing and border security, I had to go to meetings and prepare for conferences. This is one man, eight hours a day," he said.

The tribunal is investigating claims the McBreartys and their nightclub business were the victim of orchestrated harassment and intimidation by gardaí over the October 1996 killing of Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron.

Frank McBrearty Junior and his cousin Mark McConnell were wrongly suspected of the death, which was later ruled an unsolved hit-and-run and the pair cleared of any wrongdoing.

The family have alleged certain officers, particularly shamed ex-Detective Sergeant John White, targeted them to reveal supposed covered up information about the killing.