A detective denied at the Special Criminal Court yesterday that he had not taken any notes when questioning a man accused of having explosives last year.
Det Garda John Fitzpatrick denied a suggestion by Mr Michael O'Higgins, counsel for Mr Eamonn Flanagan, that he had not taken any notes during five interviews with Mr Flanagan.
He was giving evidence in a "trial within a trial" to decide on the admissibility of alleged statements made by the defendant and three other men accused of having explosives.
The court has heard that gardai found 28 bags of crushed fertiliser and five bags of fertiliser granules at a disused fish shop in Howth, Molly Malone's, and another bag of fertiliser granules at an unoccupied house in Bettystown, Co Meath. The prosecution has claimed the fertiliser was intended for use in an explosive mixture.
Mr Eamonn Flanagan (43), of The Square, Skerries, Mr Seamus McLoughlin (67), of Balkill Park, Howth, and Mr Michael Blount (48), of Bath Road, Balbriggan, have pleaded not guilty to having an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or to enable another person to do so at Howth, Co Dublin, on January 5th 1998.
A fourth man, Mr Joseph Dillon (53), PRO for the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, of Green lawns, Skerries, has pleaded not guilty to having an explosive substance with intent to endanger life at Windswept, Golf Links Road, Bettystown, Co Meath, on the same date. The four men have also pleaded not guilty to having an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances.
Det Garda Fitzpatrick said he wrote down notes of two of the five interviews he and Det Sgt John Melody carried out with Mr Flanagan. He denied a suggestion by Mr O'Higgins that the notes were drawn up "long after the event". He also denied a suggestion that he took "not a single note" during the five interviews at Whitehall Garda station and also denied that Mr Flanagan had remained silent during them.
The court has heard that Mr Flanagan allegedly admitted loading bags on to a lorry at Bettys town during interviews with gardai at Whitehall.
The trial continues today.