It was widely known in a Donegal garda station that interview notes in relation to a murder investigation had been altered, it was claimed today.
The Morris tribunal heard rumours in Letterkenny station alleged Detective Inspector John McGinley told a Garda to omit questions when typing up his report.
The senior officer had interviewed Raphoe woman Roisin McConnell in December 1996 in connection to the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron.
Mrs McConnell was accused of covering up for her husband Mark whom gardai believe had killed a man. It later emerged he was the victim of a hit-and-run.
Retired Detective Garda Joseph Foley said he was first aware of discrepancies in notes in October 1997. He told the tribunal it was hearsay that Garda John Harkin had changed the notes.
"I heard DI McGinley ask Gda Harkin to leave two questions out of his original notes," said Mr Foley, who had worked in the records room.
"It was known that's how the discrepancies arose. It must have been done at the typing stage. I do not think it was kept quiet. I certainly had knowledge of it. I presumed it would all come out at the tribunal anyway."
The notes were in relation to a second interview carried out on Mrs McConnell during her detention. It was while being interviewed a first time that she claimed she was the victim of a catalogue of abuse.
Mrs McConnell, 41, told the tribunal she was roared and shouted at, spat on, threatened that Richie Barron would come back from the grave and haunt her, was shown graphic post mortem pictures, called a murderous bitch and was told her husband was having an affair.
Ten days after her release the mother-of-two was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she remained for eight weeks.
She suffered another breakdown following her husband's second arrest six months later in relation to the case.
Senior Gardai have admitted interrogating Mrs McConnell and her sister Katrina Brolly during their detention. Mr McConnell is due to give evidence at the hearing tomorrow.