The State, which is facing a multi-million euro bill through 50 claims for damages arising from the controversy surrounding the Garda investigation into the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron in Co Donegal in 1996, has paid over €260,000 in compensation in the first of these cases to a woman arrested by gardaí in the aftermath of Mr Barron's death.
Ms Róisín McConnell had alleged gardaí wrongly arrested her and used terrorising tactics, appalling methods of interrogation and intimidation towards her.
Yesterday, the High Court Taxing Master reserved his decision on a bill for legal costs of about €500,000 in relation to the claim brought by Ms McConnell, of Tullyvinney, Raphoe, Co Donegal.
Ms McConnell is the wife of a nephew of Mr Frank McBrearty snr, who runs a nightclub and pub in Raphoe and who has made claims alleging he and his family were harassed by gardaí over several years. She sued the Garda Commissioner, the Minister for Justice and the State for damages for alleged psychological trauma arising from her alleged unlawful arrest and detention on December 4th, 1996, at Letterkenny Garda station in connection with the death of Mr Barron that October.
She claimed that after her release she and her family were subjected to severe psychological pressure for many years. Following Mr Barron's death, Mr McBrearty's son and nephew became the focus of a murder investigation. The DPP decided not to prosecute and Mr McBrearty has alleged he and his family had 190 summonses issued against them which have since been withdrawn.
Yesterday, during the legal costs hearing before Taxing Master Charles Moran, Mr Alan Murphy, acting for Ms McConnell's legal team, said she had been arrested on the unfounded suspicion of being an accessory to Mr Barron's murder.
He said Ms McConnell had pleaded in her statement that the gardaí used "terrorising tactics and appalling methods of interrogation and intimidation which continued after she was released," resulting in sever psychological trauma. She later spent nine weeks in a psychiatric hospital.
Settlement of her claim was on April 10th, 2003, and ruled on by the court later, with an order for her costs.