A detective garda today broke down in the witness box as he apologised to two innocent sisters for mistreating them in custody.
Gda John Dooley has admitted to the Morris Tribunal that Roisin McConnell and Katrina Brolly were subjected to catalogue of abuse when they were questioned in Letterkenny Garda station in December 1996.
"I'd like to sincerely apologise to Mrs Brolly and Mrs McConnell for the treatment I inflicted on them while they were in custody in Letterkenny," he said.
Garda Dooley, who has served in the force for the last 28 years, then broke down in the witness box and wiped away his tears with a white handkerchief.
"I regret that I hadn't the moral courage to tell the truth from the outset," he said.
During the interviews with Mrs Brolly and Mrs McConnell, Gda Dooley and his colleague Detective Sergeant John White used foul and abusive language, flicked lights on and off, threw a chair around the room and threatened them with long jail sentences.
Both innocent women were being questioned because gardai wrongly suspected Mark McConnell, the husband of Mrs McConnell and brother-in-law of Mrs Brolly, of being involved in the death of cattle-dealer Richie Barron in October 1996.
Gda Dooley, who is currently on sick leave after suffering a bout of depression, had denied the mistreatment allegations over a nine year period despite four separate inquiries - by the Garda Complaints Board, the Carty inquiry, the Morris Tribunal and the civil court case taken by Mrs McConnell.
"I unfortunately went down this road of denial and it went downhill from there," he said.
It was only last week, in a statement to the Morris Tribunal, that he outlined the extent of abuse faced by the sisters, and pinned much of the blame on Det Sgt White.
Gda Dooley said he talked to Sgt White about admitting to Garda investigators that they had shown Roisin McConnell graphic photos of the post mortem of Richie Barron.
He said Sgt White, whom he looked upon as a friend and a leader, had said not to do this.
"But I think it would be unfair if I cast all the blame on him for this. I have to take responsibility, I made the statement myself," he said.