The Morris Tribunal: Mrs Sheenagh McMahon, estranged wife of Det Garda Noel McMahon, told Supt Kevin Lennon to let her dead son rest in peace when he questioned her at the Morris tribunal yesterday about her state of mind following the child's death at the age of 14 months.
Supt Lennon was representing himself at the tribunal, and asked her if there had been problems in her relationship with Det Garda McMahon when they were first married and living in Dublin.
She replied that there had been one or two incidents, but overall they were very happy and life was good. Asked about the "problem" they had in Donegal in 1990, she said: "On February 6th, 1990 my son Ross died. I would never consider he was a problem."
"You were traumatised in the early 1990s," he said. "I was heart-broken," she replied. Supt Lennon put it to her that they had discussed this tragedy in her home. "I never discussed Ross with you," she replied.
"You never sympathised with me on the death of my son. Why are you bringing my son into this now? My son has only become an issue in this tribunal. Let him rest in peace. Don't use my son as a scapegoat for Garda wrongdoing."
Returning to the question of the black plastic bags in the garage, he suggested that the garage had not been built until late 1994 or early 1995, after the IRA ceasefire. Mrs McMahon said another witness put this incident at 1992 or 1993.
Asked by the chairman where he stood on the leaving of black plastic bags at the McMahon house, he said: "My wife did send clothes and curtains."
"I have no recollection of curtains. Could you tell me what colour they were?" asked Mrs McMahon.
"Pinkish velvet," he replied.
"There were never pinkish curtains in my house," she said. "No one ever produced bags of clothes from your wife to me."
Pressed by Mr Paul McDermott SC, counsel for the tribunal, on where he stood on the delivery of bags to the McMahon house, Supt Lennon said: "I will be advancing a defence on this."
Mr Justice Morris told him there was no such thing as a defence here, the tribunal was trying to establish the facts.
"I'm saying I did deliver clothes to her house. But I don't know the specific night or year or time-frame. I would accept I did deliver clothes to the McMahon house on that night." He said he had no recollection of going into the house and washing his hands, as Mrs McMahon had described.