Witness tells of interrogation 'charade' in Garda station

MORRIS TRIBUNAL: The Morris tribunal has heard claims that a Garda surveillance van was used to plant hoax explosives material in Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal, in 1994.

Quantities of fertiliser, icing sugar, diesel oil and almost 100 rounds of ammunition were found in two locations on July 18th. Ms Adrienne McGlinchey has already told the tribunal that she was involved with Det Garda Noel McMahon and Supt Kevin Lennon in planting what appeared to be explosives and bomb-making equipment.

She said she travelled in the surveillance van with the two gardaí as they brought the material to Rossnowlagh on July 17th. Supt Lennon stopped at an off-licence in Donegal town on the way and bought her a bottle of vodka to help her "unwind" because of all the pressure, Ms McGlinchey said.

When the trio were returning from Rossnowlagh, they encountered a Garda checkpoint, Ms McGlinchey said. She was told to hide behind the curtain in the van but she looked out and saw Det Garda McMahon showing his identification to a garda.

It was very strange that "not one garda" remembered stopping the van, Ms McGlinchey said, despite the fact that it happened the night before the explosives were found.

Both gardaí have denied Ms McGlinchey's claims.

Ms McGlinchey said Supt Lennon gave her £200 on their return from Rossnowlagh.

This was to reimburse her because she had lost her deposit after being evicted from her flat over an explosives find.

The tribunal heard that the two gardaí were involved in a "charade" when they interrogated Ms McGlinchey after that Garda raid on her flat. Large quantities of substances thought to be fertiliser and icing sugar were taken in the raid in Buncrana in March 1994. Gardaí were alerted by her landlord after he discovered a rocket-type object behind a panel in the bath when investigating a leak.

While Garda records state that she was arrested in connection with the find, she said this had never happened.

When the raid was being organised, she said Det Garda McMahon took her to his house so that she would not be seen by gardaí. She had sandwiches and played "Patience", she said. Then Supt Kevin Lennon arrived and told her to "say nothing to nobody".

The two gardaí later took her to Burnfoot Garda station where she stayed overnight. The following day they brought her magazines and snacks.

They sat around reading newspapers and magazines. Every now and then Supt Lennon would shout and bang the table, as though he was interrogating her. Ms McGlinchey said she was never charged in relation to the find.

The tribunal also heard that the two gardaí organised for a padlock to be put on her bedroom door before a party at the flat because there was so much fertiliser in the room.

Ms McGlinchey said her "brain was screwed" with fertiliser because she was continually grinding fertiliser, and it was being hauled all over the place. "It got to the stage where I didn't care," she said.