Garda chiefs accused of litany of bugging
Garda chiefs were today accused of extensively bugging custody rooms, cars, apartments and phones for many years by a long-serving officer.
Detective Sergeant John White told the Morris Tribunal at least 200 men, some still in the force, were aware of what was happening and urged management to come clean.
Sergeant White has previously admitted threatening and abusing two Donegal sisters in Letterkenny garda station in 1996 in relation to a murder inquiry. Today he claimed illegal bugging was extensively used.
“The senior garda authority knows this is the case. I can give specifics,” he said.
“To try and cover it up on a nationwide scale can’t be done.
“Equipment was bought and purchased with extensive cost to it.”
Michael Durack, senior counsel for Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy, said his client contested the allegations made and suggested Sergeant White was raising the issue of bugging to detract from his own activity.
“I don’t agree with that,” said Sergeant White.
Mr Durack questioned comments made yesterday by Sergeant White that he had never received any specific training regarding interview techniques.
He referred to the manual Crime Investigation Techniques (first edition 1997) which stated one had to be conscious of the rights of any person in custody being questioned and that any statement they made had to be voluntary.
Sergeant White replied: “I was never told in 1980 that that book was the bible. I was told by senior officers that interrogations had to be hard, tough interrogations.
“I was told ‘you have now joined the murder squad, we will get results’.”
The Morris Tribunal has heard how Sergeant White and two other gardaí threatened Roisín McConnell and Katrina Brolly with long jail sentences, used foul and insulting language, showed graphic photos of a dead body, threw a chair across the room, flicked light switches on and off and vowed to have their children taken away by social services.
The abuse centred on the women’s failure to provide any information in relation to the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron.
Mrs McConnell’s husband Mark was wrongly suspected of being involved in the murder.
Sergeant White today accused Mrs Brolly’s solicitor Ken Fogarty of bullying him while being cross-examined over the showing of the post mortem photographs.
“I want to answer that question Mr Fogarty,” said Sergeant White. “It will do neither of us any good if you keep bullying me in this way.
“I didn’t know that post mortem pictures were going to be shown to Katrina Brolly. It wasn’t discussed before we went in between myself and Garda Dooley. There was no discussion over lights going on and off before going into the interview.
“I did anticipate a tough, hard interrogation where it would be put very strongly to her, the strongest we were able to do in our physical space.”
He said their threats were due to hype, tension and the fact they were trying to solve a murder.
Judge Frederick Morris warned Mr Fogarty over his questioning.
Judge Morris said: “It has always been my policy here that all witnesses should be treated with the utmost respect and I won’t tolerate bullying.
“I’m not saying this is happening but Sergeant White believes he is being bullied and that will not be allowed to happen in my tribunal.”
