Tribunal report: A retired detective yesterday told the Morris tribunal how he identified a voice on a micro-cassette tape demanding money from members of the extended McBrearty family who became suspects in the murder investigation following the death of Raphoe cattle-dealer Mr Richie Barron.
"I identified on it the voice of William Doherty," retired Garda Det Richard Caplice, a member of the Carty internal Garda investigation team into allegations of Garda corruption in Donegal, told the tribunal.
The call to Michael and Charlotte Peoples was made on November 9th, 1996. Mr Caplice said the recording was of poor quality but was electronically enhanced to raise the volume and remove interference. Mr William Doherty, who is representing himself, said he was under "constant harassment" by the Carty team, and had moved to Strabane to get away from it, but the Carty team had followed him to Northern Ireland.
The Morris tribunal was established following complaints from members of the extended McBrearty family, who allege they became victims of Garda harassment after the investigation of Mr Barron's death became a murder inquiry. Mr Paudge Dorrian, solicitor for Det Sgt John White, said there was "anger and fear" between the first and second investigation teams into Mr Barron's death by the time the Carty team arrived in Donegal to conduct the third investigation.
Mr Dorrian asked why the former detective persisted in pursuing Mr Doherty if he regarded him as unreliable. "Mr Doherty indicated he had information," Mr Caplice said. "I think it was my job to see it through, to see if there was any truth to it."
"I knew there was a ring of truth in some of what he was saying, but it was very hard to tie it down."
The former detective said Mr Doherty was "heavily involved" in extortion phone calls, and in seeing that statements were made that Mr Frank McBrearty jnr and Mark McConnell were seen coming down the car-park behind Frankie's nightclub the night Mr Barron died. Mr Caplice said that Mr Doherty "was the person that masterminded it".
Sgt White first came to his attention in October 1999 as someone who might have to be investigated, Mr Caplice told Mr Dorrian.
He reported that he found Mr Doherty "unreliable", but said he also made reports of what Mr Doherty said to the Carty team. "I personally found nothing wrong with anything White had done. I can't speak for the wider investigation," he said.
Mr Doherty said he was told Dublin headquarters could not make any finding on the voice on tape made by Mr Peoples of an extortion phone call. But Mr Caplice told him he was "absolutely 100 per cent sure," the voice on the tape was that of Mr Doherty.
"I can guarantee you that is not my voice on that tape," Mr Doherty said.