Morris Tribunal: A Donegal garda has said it was a coincidence that on the same day he and another garda both named a detective as having been in charge of missing explosives.
Garda P.J. Thornton has resumed his evidence to the Morris tribunal concerning a find of two holdall bags of suspected explosive materials at the Oatfield sweet factory in Letterkenny, on June 4th, 1994.
The bags of ground fertiliser have since disappeared. In a statement to the Carty team in 2000, the gardaí said the find had been handed over to "members of detective branch".
On February 5th, 2003, Garda Thornton told tribunal investigator Mr Michael Finn he had handed over the materials to Det Sgt Jim Leheny.
On the same day, Garda Martin Leonard wrote to the tribunal saying the bags had been given to Det Sgt Leheny.
Garda Thornton denied he had "put Sgt Leheny in the frame".
"I had no discussion about the statement with Garda Leonard," he told Mr Anthony Barr, for the tribunal.
Last week Garda Thornton told the tribunal he had informed Det Garda Martin Anderson and Det Garda Patrick Cafferkey at the time that he had given the find to Det Sgt Leheny.
He said he went to tribunal investigator Mr Michael Finn because he was worried he would be "left holding the can" for the missing explosives.
Earlier, Comdt David Sexton, Army Ordanance Corps, gave evidence about items found in the possession of Ms Adrienne McGlinchey.
Comdt Sexton was asked to examine two documents. The first was a diagram, identified as Document A, resembling a device found in Cross Keys, Co Cavan, on August 16th, 1997, which allowed a vehicle to be remotely steered towards a target while carrying explosives.
"I was of the opinion the document I examined was an early schematic diagram for the device found at Cross Keys," he told the tribunal.
Document B, a list of generally available electronic components, was of no significance, he added.