Barr Tribunal A fifth Garda witness has given evidence to the Barr tribunal about a briefing he claims to have received from a senior officer at the sceneof the siege in Abbeylara, Co Longford, but failed to include in his statement.
The briefing related to the role the armed local gardaí were to play in the operation after the Emergency Response Unit arrived at the scene.
Garda William Mulligan arrived at Abbeylara at 7.15 p.m. the night the armed stand-off between Mr John Carthy and gardaí began, and was positioned in Farrell's garden, parallel to the Carthy house.
He was in plain clothes and brought a rifle and an Uzi submachine-gun from Athlone Garda station.
The ERU arrived at the scene at approximately 10 p.m., a short time later, Garda Mulligan said, he and Det Garda John Quinn, who was also positioned in Farrell's garden, were approached by Det Sgt Aidan Foley.
"Sgt Foley said the ERU were now in position and we were to act as back-up to the ERU."
Garda Mulligan said he was also instructed that if Mr Carthy left the house, he and Det Garda Quinn were to move in a "flexible manner" behind the ERU.
He said he understood this to mean that he was in a secondary role and the ERU were now in charge.
When counsel for the tribunal, Mr Raymond Comyn, asked why he had not mentioned the briefing in his statement, he said he was not aware it was going to be an issue until the previous day, when he heard Det Garda Shane Nolan questioned on the same briefing.
He added that the "Culligan" Garda inquiry into Mr Carthy's death, to which he had made his statement three years ago, "seemed to be taking a different direction" from the Barr tribunal.
Four previous Garda witnesses - Det Garda Nolan, Det Garda Gerrard Barrins, Garda Michael Faughnan and Garda Eugene Dunne - have also claimed to have been briefed by Det Sgt Foley, although they all failed to mention it in their statements.
The tribunal has adjourned until September.
