RUC 'surprise' at collusion claims

The RUC was surprised at a number of detailed claims of Garda-IRA collusion contained in the book Bandit Country: - the IRA and South Armagh by the journalist and author Toby Harnden.

In his book published in 1999 Mr Harnden claimed a garda referred to as Garda X in Dundalk was one of a number of gardaí who assisted the IRA in carrying out at least 12 high-profile murders between the mid 1970s and 1989.

According to RUC documents aired at the Smithwick Tribunal this morning the force was encouraged to assist Mr Harnden in the publication of the book by a senior RUC press officer. The press officer said Mr Harnden, then a Daily Telegraph reporter, appeared to be "a responsible journalist, if that is not a contradiction in terms".

The tribunal was told Mr Harnden had offered to provide a manuscript of the book to the British Ministry of Defence for prior approval through its D notice committee. Mr Harnden had told the RUC he understood a copy of the manuscript would then also be given to the RUC, affording an opportunity to correct any inadvertent security breaches.

A decision was subsequenly taken at the highest levels of the RUC to cooperate with Mr Harnden's book and he was given access to a wide range of sources including serving officers, documents and pictures. The tribunal heard Mr Harnden also secured access to other British security services.

This morning Jim O'Callaghan SC for former Det Sgt Owen Corrigan said his client believes Garda X was a euphemism for him.

Mr O'Callaghan told the tribunal that following publication the RUC was surprised by some of the claims in the book. One of these was the assertion that the RUC itself had intelligence Garda X had assisted the IRA in the murders of RUC men chief supt Harry Breen and supt Bob Buchanan

Mr O'Callaghan opened a number of documents which showed the RUC were anxious to interview Mr Harnden about where he got his information.

In an internal RUC report classified as "secret" and dated 25 Sept 2000, an RUC assistant chief constable said there was "no intelligence to substantiate the claims made by the author in his book", regarding the deaths of Breen and Buchanan.

Mr Harnden who is now working in the United States has declined to appear before the tribunal.

Mr Corrigan said the publication of the book was the first time there had public speculation that he was a Garda mole. He said a subsequent allegation there had been an IRA mole among the gardai in Dundalk, by the then Irish Times journalist Kevin Myers had simply been repeating the allegations in the book.

The tribunal is investigating suggestions of Garda-IRA collusion in the murders of Mr Breen and Mr Buchanan also heard Mr O'Callaghan detail a previous inquiry undertaken by Canadian Judge Peter Cory. He said this had concluded hypotheses and speculation had been presented in the book as fact and that it would have been better for the families of the bereaved if this had been identified as such.