A senior garda today denied threatening a suspect or calling him abusive names during an investigation into cattle dealer Richie Barron's death in 1996.
Det Insp Michael Keane interviewed Michael Peoples along with Garda Philip Collins during his detention in Lifford Garda Station over a decade ago as gardai attempted to solve the killing of Mr Barron.
Mr Peoples, who was at the time a doorman at a nightclub owned by the McBreartys, has claimed before the Morris Tribunal he was first interviewed in a calm manner but the atmosphere changed during his second interview conducted by Det Insp Keane and Gda Collins.
He has claimed they repeatedly called him a lying murdering bastard, and that Det Insp Keane picked up a metal leg off a chair and gestured with it in a threatening manner.
"To get his co-operation there is no way I would go down that road of calling him names," Det Insp Keane said under cross examination by counsel for the tribunal.
"You would make no progress at an interview like that." Det Insp Keane said he had been long enough in the job at that stage not to get frustrated with people during interviews.
"I don't think I was shouting, my voice was raised, but it was raised in the asking of the question not in the interruption of the answers."
Mr Barron's death was later designated as a result of a hit-and-run rather than murder. Mr Peoples has claimed at the tribunal that during the interview he thumped the table, and Det Insp Keane warned him not to do so or he would thump him.
"I didn't thump Mr Peoples there is no way I was going to say to Mr Peoples I was going to thump him," Det Insp Keane said.
The Morris Tribunal is currently investigating claims some 12 people arrested and detained in the late 1990s in connection with the death were threatened and abused during garda interviews.
Some of those detained in garda custody have outlined a catalogue of systematic abuses including being shown graphic post mortem pictures, name calling and assaults, while one man said a handgun was shoved in his mouth.
PA