A former garda sergeant yesterday denied he shouted and banged the table during the interrogation of a Co Donegal man.
Martin Moylan arrested Damien McDaid on December 17th, 1996, in connection with the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron and later took part in the interrogation at Letterkenny Garda station.
Mr Moylan denied that during the interview he banged the table and shouted, as Mr McDaid had alleged.
"I'd never strike a table, never did," he said.
Mr McDaid also alleged Mr Moylan was shouting so much that spittle came out of his mouth all over the table.
"No way, I'd never be like that," he said.
Mr McDaid was one of 12 people arrested in connection with the death of Mr Barron, whom gardaí claimed had been murdered. The tribunal has since found Mr Barron was a victim of a hit-and-run.
Mr Moylan was asked yesterday why Mr McDaid had been arrested. He replied that Mr McDaid had been in a car park in Raphoe on the night Mr Barron died.
The chairman, Mr Justice Frederick Morris, asked if it was thought Mr McDaid was co-operating with the interrogation.
"We thought he was not telling us everything," Mr Moylan said.
He said they were just doing their best at the time to find out what he knew.
"We felt he had information and was holding back," he said.
The chairman asked if in that case would it not have been expected that gardaí would have adopted a more robust approach in confronting Mr McDaid.
Mr Moylan said he would say Mr McDaid was confronted.
The chairman said if so, this was the heart of the matter, and asked if this should have been in notes but was not.
Mr Moylan said he could only imagine that he did confront him.
The former garda sergeant earlier this month changed his statement relating to the detention of Mark Quinn to admit he had pushed postmortem photographs into the interviewee's face. He had previously denied it.