A Co Donegal detective said he was shocked at the way a man who was overly friendly and tried to ingratiate himself with gardaí turned on him and made serious allegations against him.
Det Sgt John White, who is at the centre of the allegations of corruption made by Bernard Conlon, yesterday took the witness box for the first time to give his account. He denies all allegations against him.
Det Sgt White, at present suspended because of the allegations, said that in 1997-98 he was in the role of looking after court cases in Letterkenny and Mr Conlon was a witness against the McBreartys in a licensing case.
"Whenever I met Bernard Conlon he was overly friendly. My perception was that he constantly wanted to be chatting to me and talking to gardaí."
He said Mr Conlon constantly approached him and other Garda members and tried to get into conversation. If they went to a hotel for lunch he would sit down beside them, but they would tell him he could not do that as a witness.
"In my lifetime, I've never come across a man so intent on becoming part of the Garda side."
Mr Conlon wanted to be on first-name terms, and at times he or colleagues would say Mr Conlon was a bit of a nuisance.
Paul McDermott SC, for the tribunal, asked why he supposed a man ingratiating himself would then make allegations against him to the Carty Garda internal investigation team in 2000.
Det Sgt White replied: "I think he saw us as being in a position of power.
"The situation changed in early 2000 in that I believe he felt the Carty team was now in power, and he was ingratiating himself with them. I believe he wanted to be close to the winning team, people in power at the time."
Mr McDermott said a man who was perhaps lonely and ingratiated himself turned on the very people he was trying to be friendly with, particularly Det Sgt White.
"I certainly can't understand it and I was very, very shocked . . . ... I found it difficult to believe it when I heard it first of all," Det Sgt White said.
What changed was Mr Conlon's arrest by the Carty team, and he saw the game was up with him and he was in a serious predicament, he said.
"He may not be well educated, but there is an inherent cuteness and deviousness in his nature which I didn't see first of all," Det Sgt White said.
Mr Conlon alleges Det Sgt White told him to be found late-night drinking at Frankie's nightclub, owned by the McBrearty family in Raphoe, Co Donegal, on August 30th, 1997, and be a State witness against them.
He also claims he was told to make up a story about two men calling to his house in Sligo who threatened him with a silver bullet. He later falsely identified two members of the extended McBrearty family.
Det Sgt White said when Mr Conlon was found on the nightclub premises, he believed he wanted to get in on the game and involve himself.
He had spoken to Garda John Nicholson in Sligo about the problems with the nightclub and at one stage he told him there was no witness coming forward. Garda Nicholson had said: "My man would be helpful and he'd tell the truth", meaning Mr Conlon. He said he did not respond as he did not see it as important at the time and did not do anything.
He said he did not know what Garda Nicholson said to Mr Conlon but added: "I feel Bernard Conlon had the idea he'd be a witness and assist the gardaí and he wished to be involved".