Morris tribunal: A retired Garda sergeant said yesterday he had a breakdown at the tribunal before deciding to change his evidence.
Martin Moylan said he had suppressed memories of showing graphic postmortem photographs to publican Mark Quinn, who was being questioned about the night cattle dealer Ritchie Barron was killed in October 1996.
The tribunal is inquiring into the alleged mistreatment of Mr Quinn and others when they were arrested and questioned about Mr Barron's death.
Mr Moylan had consistently denied showing the photographs to Mr Quinn, but changed his evidence last week.
His colleague, Garda John O'Dowd, has already told the tribunal that Mr Moylan produced the photographs.
Asked why he had the "sudden change of heart", Mr Moylan said: "In 2003 I was in denial, I couldn't face up to it or something. I was 30 years in the force and never a complaint or anything of any wrongdoing against me and I just couldn't deal with it."
He said he had also suppressed memories of a harrowing time spent in Bosnia as part of an international police team.
He had suppressed memories of his years in the Special Branch when he was "dealing with a lot of killing, shooting, bombings and you couldn't go home to your wife and tell things".
Last week, he said, he woke up in the middle of night. He had a "vision" about postmortem photographs on the interview table and told his wife he had to change his evidence.
Asked by Ken Fogarty, for Mr Quinn, if the "truth-telling" episode had helped him, Mr Moylan said: "I suppose it has. I'm in better form today and yesterday but I'm on medication as well."
Pressed by Mr Justice Frederick Morris on the reason for his sudden change of evidence, he said: "I had myself convinced there were no photographs."
The tribunal has heard that the photographs were shown to other detainees, including Róisín McConnell and Katrina Brolly. Mr Moylan denied that an order had been sent out telling interviewing officers to use the postmortem photographs to shock detainees into telling the truth.
Mr Fogarty asked if it was not "an extraordinary coincidence" that three different sets of interviewing guards had taken this decision "of their own volition".
