THE MORRIS TRIBUNAL: A niece of IRA man Pearse McCauley was arrested in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, the day after he escaped from Brixton Prison and was arrested a second time a few weeks later when she claimed she was assaulted by gardaí, the Morris tribunal was told yesterday.
Ms Yvonne Devine said she was arrested the first time when she was 16-years-old on July 8th, 1991 with Ms Adrienne McGlinchey in Letterkenny.
The second time she was arrested she was assaulted by gardaí in Buncrana who slapped her, physically ill-treated her and made her drink vodka, she said. They asked her about her uncle.
Pearse McCauley escaped from Brixton Prison, London. At present he is serving 14 years for the manslaughter of Det Garda Jerry McCabe.
Mr Anthony Barr, tribunal counsel, asked about the first time Ms Devine was arrested. She said she had worked for Ms McGlinchey in her mother's restaurant when she was 14. Ms Adrienne McGlinchey was 11 years older.
On July 8th, 1991, she and Ms McGlinchey had been working in the late-night restaurant and decided to go for a drive. They went out on Pearse Road and gardaí stopped them and they were arrested. They had possibly been up to Rahan. That was one of the routes Ms McGlinchey liked to go.
"We were stopped by gardaí and arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and taken to the Garda station," she said.
They were put in the cells and questioned about a bomb in Raphoe where a family were held hostage. The gardaí tried to say that she and Ms McGlinchey were seen running away from the house there. They also asked about her uncle who had escaped the day before.
Ms Devine said they were released. She was never charged with any offence. In the next few days, she and Ms McGlinchey went to Buncrana. Ms McGlinchey had suggested it to her mother to get away from all the hassle with the gardaí.
She said she believed that Ms McGlinchey may have wanted to go to Buncrana to meet Det Garda Noel McMahon whom she had met when they were arrested. She had told the internal Carty inquiry that she thought Ms McGlinchey was besotted with Garda McMahon.
Ms Devine said looking back she could not think of any other explanation as to why Ms McGlinchey did all she did.
On July 31st, 1991, she and Ms McGlinchey were arrested for being drunk and disorderly. She was taken into the cells in Buncrana.
"I was assaulted by some guards in the cell for a number of hours. They'd come into the cell and charge at me," she said.
Asked which gardaí, Ms Devine replied: "Garda Mick Murray. He slapped me across the face a few times and physically ill-treated me, calling me names, pushing me and shoving me.
"They were coming in every 15 or 20 minutes, asking me questions, asking me about my uncle, where is he, stupid things like that. They tried to get me to drink vodka as well, holding my neck and trying to get me drunk. I think at one stage, they did get me drunk and I passed out," she said.
Asked who was holding her neck, she said: "Mick Murray. Holding me with one hand." She said the vodka was in a glass. She supposed he was trying to get her to talk. He slapped her with his open hand on her head and face. She said she did not remember any other faces. They would come at her, call her names and laugh. Afterwards she was taken home to Letterkenny. She was not charged with any offence ever. Her mother made three or four complaints to Letterkenny Garda station but nothing happened.
Earlier, Ms Adrienne McGlinchey, who was being cross-examined, denied she wanted Ms Devine with her in 1991 because she was Pearse McCauley's niece.
Ms McGlinchey had claimed she was an IRA informer. She has told the tribunal that this was not true and that she said it because Det Garda McMahon had told her to.
She denied she wanted Ms Devine with her because it would have given her more credibility in claiming connections to the IRA.
Mr Pat Marrinan SC, for the Carty team and individual gardaí, asked her about differences in statements she made to the Carty inquiry in 1999 and her evidence.
Ms McGlinchey said: "The thing is they deliberately went out to confuse me and that's my belief. I don't know why. It went on the weeks and hours, 11 o'clock at night and 12 o'clock at night, breakfast, through dinners and through teas, " she said.
Between Garda McMahon and Supt Kevin Lennon, local gardaí and the Carty team, they nearly drove her off her head, she said. "I just sat on the pier and I nearly drove my car over the bridge at one time," she said. "They nearly drove me over the bridge."