Senior garda officers in Raphoe, Co Donegal had a policy of pressurising the McBreartys who they believed were involved in the death of Richie Barron, a garda sergeant said yesterday.
Sgt Sarah Hardagon said she went to Raphoe when she was promoted in June 1997. She took it on trust from other members that the McBreartys were involved in a wall of silence and conspiracy to cover up what at the time was believed to be the murder of Mr Barron.
Peter Charleton SC, for the tribunal, said at that time Frank McBrearty jnr and his cousin Mark McConnell were suspects.
The tribunal has since held that Mr Barron was killed in a hit and run and the McBreartys were not involved.
Sgt Hardagon said the view was that there was a conspiracy going on within the McBrearty family and the extended family to cover up their involvement.
She picked it up from general conversations from members from all stations.
"There was no sympathy at that time, no. It was what we believed, that they were involved and there was a wall of silence and a conspiracy going on. I took it on trust from what I heard from other members and I wasn't part of the investigation," she said.
Asked what she now felt about the whole issue concerning the late Mr Barron, she said: "I feel sad about it all, that all of this has happened and it's just a disaster really."
There was a policy in place when she arrived in Raphoe of inspecting Frankie's Nightclub on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights every weekend. It had been going on for a number of months before she arrived. Det Sgt John White and Garda John O'Dowd were mainly inspecting the premises.
"There was a particular focus on Frankie's when I went there [ to Raphoe] because they were unco-operative in the investigation and it was felt that if the pressure was put on them at the time, that somebody might come out and say what really happened on the night Richie Barron was killed," she said.
She agreed that she felt it was a policy of senior officers. Sgt Hardagon said she felt that she had to continue with the practice of inspecting the night club. She did not get anything in writing specifically and could not remember any conversation.
Her opinion at the time of the McBreartys was that they were dangerous people and she was advised to keep a record. She thought it was on the advice of Sgt White. She felt that Sgt White was sent to Raphoe specifically to deal with the McBreartys, she said.
There were bomb hoaxes at the McBreartys' nightclub about once a month, she said.