Morris tribunal: Two senior Co Donegal gardaí were most anxious after a man who later confessed to making false statements was arrested, a retired garda said yesterday.
Garda John Nicholson said that when Bernard Conlon was arrested by the Carty internal Garda investigation team in January 2000, he was contacted by Supt Kevin Lennon and Det Sgt John White, who were most anxious about what Mr Conlon would say.
Mr Conlon has alleged that Sgt White told him to make up false statements to set up the McBreartys, including to be caught late-night drinking in McBrearty's nightclub in Raphoe and to be a State witness. He claimed court expenses.
In July 2002, Mr Nicholson pleaded guilty to submitting false certificates for loss of earnings for Mr Conlon.
Mr Conlon also made up a story that he was threatened with a silver bullet by two of the extended McBrearty family.
He said that Sgt White had also told him to do this.
Sgt White and Supt Lennon have denied all allegations against them.
Yesterday, Mr Nicholson said Supt Lennon asked to meet him in the Sligo Park Hotel at the end of January 2000.
He said Supt Lennon asked if he knew if Mr Conlon talked and who was interviewing him. Supt Lennon had added that "Conlon was tight and wouldn't crack". He had told him he did not know.
"I had the impression he was most anxious about Conlon being in custody," he said.
Mr Nicholson said it was the same thing with Sgt White when he phoned.
"When he contacted me on the 28th , he was most anxious to find out about Conlon's arrest," he said. "On the 29th, when he phoned me again to see if I could make contact with Conlon, again he was most anxious," he said.
He never spoke to Sgt White ever again after that.
Paul McDermott SC, for the tribunal, asked what he took from these communications.
He replied: "That they were most anxious about what Conlon would say about those threats.
"I was suspicious, yes, that the threats might not be real and that Sgt White and Supt Lennon must have had some knowledge of it," he said.
In March or April that year, Sgt Gerry Connolly of Sligo told him he discovered the threats against Mr Conlon were false. He had told him it was a set up but did not say who arranged it.
"I totally believe it was Sgt White," he said. When asked why he believed that, he replied: "He was the man that had all the deals with me about Conlon and calls and asking me could I find out what happened."