Raids on alleged informer's home called off, says garda

Morris Tribunal: Detective Sergeant Noel McMahon of Buncrana Garda station was able to have a raid on the home of alleged IRA informer Ms Adrienne McGlinchey called off, because it would compromise Ms McGlinchey's position, it was claimed at the Morris Tribunal yesterday.

Retired Det Sgt Tom Sreenan told the tribunal that Det Sgt McMahon and Supt Kevin Lennon were considered to be among "the privileged few" who were allowed to question and monitor the movements of Ms Adrienne McGlinchey and her housemate Ms Yvonne Devine.

Mr Sreenan said gardaí, including members of the detective unit based in Buncrana, who attempted to monitor Ms McGlinchey found themselves diverted to other duties.

He instanced a number of occasions when members of the detective unit had attempted to execute a search on the home and property connected with Ms McGlinchey, but had found themselves effectively recalled.

Det Garda McMahon and Supt Lennon have denied allegations that finds of paramilitary weapons made in Donegal in the 1990s were staged with the assistance of Ms McGlinchey, in order to bring credit on themselves.

Mr Sreenan gave evidence that on one occasion when Ms McGlinchey and Ms Devine were staying in a house in the Carndonagh area he and other gardaí went out to the house to observe the women. After a while both women emerged from the house and walked to a nearby phone box where they appeared to be making a phone call.

Shortly afterwards he received a call over the car radio diverting them to what he described as "a hoax call" at the border. On arrival at the border Mr Sreenan was diverted to Moville where he was assigned to protect the politician Mr John Hume.

However, cross examining Mr Sreenan yesterday, Supt Lennon referred to a note written by Chief Supt Sean Ginty pointing out that he had been contacted just once by Det Garda McMahon asking that a search of property connected with Ms McGlinchey be called off, as it would compromise Ms McGlinchey's position as an informer. The chief superintendent had acceded.

Supt Lennon also said hoax calls to the border were frequent happenings in the early 1990s and he challenged Mr Sreenan to definitively assert that there was no incident on the border on the night in question. Mr Sreenan replied that he could not.

Under questioning, Mr Sreenan also accepted that he could not be certain that the women had made a phone call while in the phone box. He also accepted that he had not attempted to get telephone records which might have indicated who the women might have called.

Supt Lennon asked Mr Sreenan if he had reported any of his suspicions in writing to senior officers, to which Mr Sreenan replied that he had not.

Mr Sreenan described as "absolute rubbish" a suggestion that he had approached Ms McGlinchey in a shopping centre in Letterkenny and told her that she had been responsible for Supt Lennon's promotion to superintendent and had made the superintendent "a fortune" over the years.

According to Supt Lennon the account of the conversation was given in a statement by Ms Adrienne McGlinchey. He also said the incident had been observed by gardaí from Letterkenny who had made a statement confirming they had seen Ms McGlinchey and Mr Sreenan together.

The tribunal continues on Monday.