A retired detective garda sergeant who called a key witness a "spacer" at the Smithwick tribunal last week said this morning he was talking about somebody else when he gave his evidence.
Tom Fox had said, when he gave evidence last Friday, that MI5 agent Peter Keeley was regarded as "a spacer" and that he was "a person who could not be trusted". Mr Keeley has alleged retired garda Owen Corrigan passed information onto the IRA that led to the murder of two RUC officers.
This morning, after being shown a photograph of Mr Keeley, who used the pseudonym of Kevin Fulton when he spoke to the press, Mr Fox said he was not the person he had been referring to.
"I never saw that man in my life," he told Judge Peter Smithwick.
The Smithwick Tribunal is inquiring into suggestions of collusion between members of the gardaí or other employees in the State in the murder of two RUC officers, Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan, on March 20th, 1989.
Mr Fox told counsel for Mr Keeley, Neil Rafferty BL, that he was talking about a Mr McCann.
He said he made it clear when he was giving evidence last week he was unsure about the identity of Mr Keeley and had requested a photo at that stage.
"Any reference I made was in respect of Mr McCann," he confirmed.
Mr Rafferty said Mr Fox had mentioned “Mooch” Blair, believed by Garda intelligence to be a well known subversive in Dundalk, whom Mr Keeley had driven for. He asked if Mr Fox might have seen Keeley while he was driving. Mr Fox said he did not.
After a request from Mr Rafferty, Judge Smithwick directed that the photo of Mr Keeley should not be published, though it had been obtained from a website online.
In earlier evidence, two former gardaí told of how Supt Buchanan had visited their stations unannounced prior to his death.
Retired garda sergeant Ray Roche said he was in Hackballscross station when the RUC officer arrived in a red car, his own private vehicle. He was shown into Mr Roche's office, who walked him back out to the door, telling him it was very dangerous.
"I told him to go as diplomatically as I could," Mr Roche said. "I had no notice of him coming and it was unsafe for him to be there at that time." He was glad to see him driving away and he was the only RUC officer he recalled making such an unannounced visit, Mr Roche told the tribunal.
Former garda Larry Withrow recalled a visit by Supt Buchanan to Dromad station, a Louth station close to the Border. He told counsel for the tribunal Mary Laverty SC, the officer had no particular message to convey. He described him as "very, very friendly".
"He insisted that you called him Bob," Mr Withrow said. He said he asked him to park at the back of the station, but he "declined the invitation".
Mr Withrow also told the tribunal that RUC escorts, supplied to provide security to officers crossing the Border, stopped about one mile north of the Border. The two officers were killed just over the Border on the northern side.
"So that would be the distance the officers would have travelled on their own anyway?" Ms Laverty asked.
"Yes," Mr Withrow responded.
