Further allegations of garda role in Barron death outlined

The Morris tribunal heard fresh allegations today of garda involvement in the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron in Co Donegal in 1996.

Yesterday, the first day of the tribunal in Donegal Town heard allegations that two gardaí were involved in Mr Barron's death.

Continuing his opening submission to the tribunal today, Mr Peter Charleton SC, said a further allegation, "an extremely elaborate story", was told by Garda "informant" Ms Adrienne McGlinchey involving Det Garda Noel McMahon.

Yesterday the tribunal heard that Garda McMahon had pointed a loaded gun in the face of a junior officer at Buncrana Garda station in 1994. The claim was supported by two independent witnesses, but denied by Det Garda McMahon.

The tribunal heard today claims that Det McMahon rang asking Ms McGlinchey for £10,000 for a garda in trouble. She managed to raise a third of that and drove to a Lifford hotel and gave the money to a "farmer-type" man in a Land Rover. Two weeks later, she was asked to meet the same individual and was handed "a metal weight," Mr Charleton told the tribunal.

She claims Det McMahon instructed her to wash it and later told her it had something to do with the death of Mr Barron. She said the item was then dumped in the forest.

She claims Det McMahon told her two gardaí were driving outside Raphoe when they came across this drunk man on the road. They shouted at him to get off the road. One of the gardaí got out and there was a scuffle. The other officer then got out and "clobbered this person with the metal object" that she had been given by this farmer type, according to Ms McGlinchey's statement.

Mr Charleton told the tribunal that a Garda search of the forest failed to find the item and that Ms McGlinchey thinks the story she heard from Det McMahon "was rubbish".

Concluding his opening statement into the module concerning the death of Mr Barron, Mr Charleton said certain issues may be worthy of particular focus including "whether there were doubts about the credibility of Adrienne McGlinchey from the inception of her first substantial dealings, as a supposed informant, with members of An Garda Síochána".

Mr Charleton also read from the statement of Ms Sheenagh McMahon, the estranged wife of Det Garda Noel McMahon. She said her husband had declined an invitation to investigate the death of Mr Barron because: "I will not be going on the case as there will be heads rolling over it".

Mr Charleton said yesterday the tribunal's work had been hampered by the fact that the truth was "deeply buried" and said there had been claim and counter claim for every allegation.

Mr Justice Frederick Morris yesterday stressed the public should not take "as fact" allegations made against gardaí in Co Donegal.