A FORMER RUC superintendent was warned by senior police officers on both sides of the Border to be careful who he talked to in Dundalk Garda station.
Giving evidence from behind a screen at the Smithwick Tribunal yesterday, the officer also said the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was suspicious about passing “ordinary” operational information to the gardaí in Dundalk.
Identified only as “Witness 33”, the former officer said one of the warnings to be careful – that from his RUC divisional commander – had mentioned the name of a specific garda in Dundalk. It was that of Det Sgt Owen Corrigan.
Addressing the operational issues, Witness 33 said he recalled that on one occasion when he was a chief inspector in Newry, the RUC were setting up an operation to recover a stolen car.
Because the operation was in the Border region, the RUC notified Dundalk gardaí in advance. But on starting the operation they discovered the stolen car had been moved, and so the operation was a failure.
A similar operation arose some time later and a decision was taken not to inform the gardaí in Dundalk in advance – and this operation was successful, he said.
Witness 33 said: “I have no evidence to say there was a tip-off, but it certainly looked suspicious.”
He said information would have been given to members of the gardaí in Dundalk at chief inspector or inspector level, “whom I would have no problem with whatsoever”.
He said leaks might have occurred “further down the chain” when additional gardaí were being briefed. In relation to the warnings to be careful about what was said to gardaí in Dundalk, Witness 33 said: “I was told on a couple of occasions to be careful of whom I talked to in Dundalk.”
He said one of these warnings came from Insp Dan Prenty of Dundalk, but Insp Prenty had not named any specific officer.
Witness 33 said the warning from his divisional commander which identified Owen Corrigan utilised the words: “Be careful what you say to him.”
The witness told the inquiry of suspicions and rumours in circulation after the killings of RUC officers Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan in March 1989.
The officers were killed in an IRA ambush minutes after leaving a meeting in Dundalk Garda station.
“People did not believe that could happen so conveniently after a meeting,” he said.
However, Jim O’Callaghan SC, for former Det Sgt Owen Corrigan, said the divisional commander referred to had already given evidence to the tribunal and this evidence had suggested the divisional commander “trusted Mr Corrigan with his life”.
Mr O’Callaghan said: “On one occasion Owen Corrigan saved his life.”
Witness 33 said the warning he had received was “be careful what you say”. Witness 33 added: “You could take that in all sorts of ways.”
The tribunal also heard from another former RUC officer, Brian Lally, who said Supt Buchanan had crossed the Border so frequently it was a cause of concern to the gardaí.
