A key witness in the Smithwick Tribunal has alleged that a now retired Detective Sergeant in Dundalk, Owen Corrigan, was passing information to the IRA and was regarded as a “friend” of the group.
Peter Keeley, who also uses the name of Kevin Fulton, worked as a British agent within the republican paramilitary group for a number of years.
It was his claims of collusion in the murder of two senior RUC officers that led to the establishment of the tribunal.
Mr Keeley said he was told by a colleague in the IRA that “our friend” had helped by passing information which led to the ambush in which Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan were killed minutes after leaving a meeting in Dundalk Garda Station.
He said “our friend” also removed fingerprints from a bomb found in Omeath, Co Louth.
He believed the IRA's friend to be Owen Corrigan. It was not a secret within his IRA unit that Mr Corrigan was helping them.
Mr Corrigan strongly disputes this and all claims of collusion.
Mr Keeley said it was the IRA's plan to abduct the two RUC men but they were killed instead. He acknowledged that he had not heard Mr Corrigan's name being mentioned directly with the murders but he took the use of the phrase “our friend”' to mean Mr Corrigan.
He also told the tribunal that he had driven IRA man, Patrick ‘Mooch’ Blair out to a meeting when Mr Corrigan got into the car and told them that Cooley farmer, Tom Oliver, was passing information about the IRA to the gardaí. The witness said he was later involved in organising transport for the IRA team interrogating Mr Oliver. He said Mr Oliver was released on this occasion but was later abducted and murdered by the IRA.
The witness claimed he was taught how to make bombs by Mr Blair and that they found Bewley's coffee grinders to be the best to grind fertilizer for explosives. He also said he was involved in the “nutting squad”, which was an internal security unit, but only transporting people for questioning by the IRA.
Mr Keeley also gave evidence about a number of IRA operations which were aborted because of him passing on information. He said lives had been saved. He also claimed that Sir Ronnie Flanagan had told DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson that the information passed by Mr Keeley was reliable.
He said he met ‘Mooch’ Blair after he had switched to dissident republicans and he believed he was preparing a bomb. The witness said he told his handlers but never said the bomb was destined for Omagh because he said he did not know.
Mr Keeley spoke about the time he and his wife were "arrested" by the IRA and questioned by the “nutting squad”. He said he was questioned by Freddie Scappaticci - the man who denies he is the British agent known as ‘Stakeknife’.
They were released before being questioned again, but the witness said he refused to go back for a third round of questioning and instead fled to England. He said after some bitter rows he is now being looked after by MI5 but that could end without a minute’s warning.
Cross-examining of the witness began shortly before the tribunal ended. Jim O'Callaghan, Counsel for Owen Corrigan, put several claims made by RUC witnesses that Mr Keeley was unreliable, untrustworthy, a liar and a fantasist.
Mr Keeley disputed those claims. His cross examination is likely to take some time.
Keely 'always wanted to be a soldier'
Mr Keeley told the tribunal earlier that he joined the British army in 1979 as he had always wanted to be a soldier.
Within four weeks he was approached by two officers from military intelligence who wanted to know why a Catholic from Newry joined the British army.
He said they seemed satisfied with his answers and returned a short time later asking the witness for his help.
Mr Keeley said he was shown covert pictures of people signing on for social welfare benefits in Newry and asked to identify them. Mr Keeley said he had no problem helping them. He was asked to leave the army and assist them fulltime but he said he refused.
He was then posted with his unit in the Royal Irish Rangers to Berlin where he guarded the Nazi leader, Rudolf Hess in Spandau prison.
However, Mr Keeley said he eventually agreed to return to Newry and work as a spy - partially for the excitement he said. He was working for the Force Reserach Unit which was part of the British military intelligence group.
Mr Keeley said his handlers warned him it would take time to ingratiate himself within the IRA and for some time he was just asked about who was in the pub and who was friendly with whom.
He said he was given a car fitted with a special locator by the security services and then told to drive around looking for IRA checkpoints.
When he came across one, he was to active the switch which would show his location.
The idea was that the British army would fly in soldiers who would "do their thing".
The witness said he was never sure that he wouldn't "get zapped" by the British army during such operations.
Mr Keeley also spoke about one occasion when he was interrogated by the IRA. He said he was accused of being a British agent - which he denied.
The witness said he was told to say an act of contrition and he believed he was going to die. However, those questioning him obviously believed him and he was let go.
He said he was running a B&B in Newry, Co Down, and learned that the boyfriend of a woman staying there was a lorry driver who transported televisions and videos.
This man agreed he would hand over his lorry to the IRA for a fee and then claim he was hijacked. However, he broke under police questioning and Mr Keeley was arrested. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment for that offence.
Judge Smithwick was also told by Mr Keeley that he became friendly with 'Mooch' Blair who gave evidence to the Tribunal two weeks ago. He was an active member of the IRA and they became very friendly and through him the witness said he too became a member.
