A Co Donegal man who was wrongfully arrested said yesterday he was terrified during his interrogation by gardaí who repeatedly called him a "lying, murdering bastard".
Michael Peoples was arrested on December 4th, 1996, on suspicion of the murder of cattle-dealer Richie Barron in Raphoe. The tribunal has since found that Mr Barron was a hit and run victim.
Mr Peoples was one of 12 people arrested and detained in connection with the death.
Yesterday, in the ninth sub-module looking into the arrests, Mr Peoples said he was arrested in the morning and spent 12 hours in Lifford Garda station. He said the first interview with two gardaí was amicable. However, the atmosphere changed in the second interview conducted by Det Insp Michael Keane and Garda Philip Collins, he said.
"The first thing Det Keane asked a question and I answered, and I remember he said: "You're a lying, murdering bastard". If he didn't like an answer he would say that. It was aggressive. They'd keep repeating that and shouted at me, " he said.
Mr Peoples said he was not physically assaulted at all but he felt threatened. "I was sitting terrified to be truthful about it. It was a hateful, hateful situation to be in. I didn't know what was coming next.
"There was no threat at that stage of physical violence but I was waiting on it to happen. That's the atmosphere that was created. I was waiting to get it - a pack of thugs, that's my opinion," Mr Peoples said.
They then talked about Mr Barron and autopsy photographs. He said he told them it did not bother him as he would not be squeamish with anything like that. Det Keane said he was a heartless bastard. Garda Collins left the room to get the photographs.
"He [ Det Keane] walked over the back left hand corner of the room. There was a broken leg of a chair about two foot long. He bent over, he had this in his hand and he's looking back at me with this and hitting it in his hand. He didn't speak," he said.
Garda Collins came back into the room and did not have the photographs with him. "I thought I was going to be assaulted. I was terrified," Mr Peoples said.
Mr Peoples was arrested again on May 6th, 1999, on foot of fabricated statements made by Bernard Conlon, who falsely identified him as one of two men who threatened him with a silver bullet if he gave evidence in a licensing case against the McBreartys.
The McBreartys had also been suspected of being involved in the death of Mr Barron.
Mr Peoples said he was taken to Manorhamilton Garda station and interrogated over two days. On the second day he was put in an identity parade and Mr Conlon picked him out.
"There were five or six lads there and not as tall as me. I had no laces in my shoes, no belt in my trousers and I wasn't shaved. It would've been obvious," he said.
After that he was cautioned and gardaí told him he could get seven years. "I was panicking. I thought that was it. In my mind I thought I was going to be seven years in jail.
"I firmly believed it, the fact he picked me out. I wasn't expecting to be picked out. It was panic stations at that stage."
He was released later that night and subsequently it was recommended that no prosecution should follow.