'Wrong decision' to free theft suspect

MORRIS TRIBUNAL: A detective garda agreed yesterday that it was a "wrong" and "damaging" decision to release Ms Adrienne McGlinchey without charging her after she was found with stolen walkie-talkies.

Det Garda Martin Anderson told the Morris tribunal that Ms McGlinchey was arrested in Letterkenny in 1992 for possession of the walkie-talkies. They had been taken from the fire station after the fire brigade had been called out on a hoax call. When questioned, she would only say that Det Garda Noel McMahon should be contacted. He, in turn, said Chief Supt Sean Ginty should be consulted.

Chief Supt Ginty directed that Ms McGlinchey be released without charge. Det Garda Anderson said he believed she should have been charged and brought before the courts, "but we had no say in the matter". Det Garda Anderson said he believed Ms McGlinchey was "of no value" to gardaí, in terms of giving information. His view was shared by some other gardaí, he said, but not by Det Garda McMahon or Chief Supt Ginty.

The detective garda also told the tribunal he was "totally surprised" to hear that explosives had been found at Covehill, in Letterkenny, days after he had carried out a fruitless search of the area.

A Garda telex from Letterkenny to headquarters on June 13th, 1994 stated that a "routine search" of a vacant shed by the Letterkenny detective branch had found approximately 112 lbs of finely ground fertiliser.

However, sometime between June 4th and June 13th, Det Garda Anderson and the now-retired Det Garda Patrick Cafferkey had been instructed to search the shed at Covehill.

The property was owned by Ms Adrienne McGlinchey's family. She has told the tribunal she was forced into planting explosives by Det Garda Noel McMahon. Both men rejected claims by Ms McGlinchey that they were involved in hoax explosives finds.

Det Garda Anderson also told the tribunal he didn't believe that there was any bad blood between Det Sgt James Leheny and Det Garda McMahon or Supt Kevin Lennon.

Det Garda McMahon's estranged wife, Ms Sheenagh McMahon, has already told the tribunal that her husband had work problems with Det Sgt Leheny which culminated in him moving to another station for a period. The tribunal continues this morning.