Second garda denies Mary Boyle cover-up

Retired detective sergeant Aidan Murray, who featured in Mary Boyle: The Untold Story, has claimed the programme was "selective" and "misleading" in how it presented his interview.

The documentary includes allegations of political interference and a cover-up in the original Garda investigation into the disappearance of the six-year-old child near her grandparents' home in Ballyshannon in 1977.

In a sworn statement to a solicitor, Mr Murray said that at no stage during his investigation into the disappearance of the little girl in Donegal was he subjected to "interference" or "pressure".

He said his two senior officers, a superintendent and an inspector, were "honourable and professional men" and "at no point attempted to influence" him in the conduct of the investigation. He alleged that the documentary had "taken a number of my comments out of context and creates the wrong impression".

Mr Murray's comments echo those of his former colleague, retired sergeant Martin Collins, who also featured in the documentary, Mary Boyle: The Untold Story.

Speaking to his local newspaper in Donegal, Mr Collins also denied any political interference.

Both retired gardai investigated the disappearance of Mary, who was last seen walking across fields near her grandparents' home. Both gardai were interviewed for the documentary on Mary's disappearance, made by the journalist, Gemma O'Doherty, who campaigned for an inquest and independent inquiry into the child's disappearance.

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In their interviews, both retired gardai referred to a phone call allegedly made to Ballyshannon Garda Station.

Mr Murray told the documentary: "The result of that phone call is that certain people weren't allowed to be interviewed and it was all hands off. The sting went out of the whole investigation after that."

He also said he got a "nudge" from the inspector at the time to "ease off" when he was interviewing the chief suspect.

In his interview for the documentary, Mr Collins said: "The gist of it [the phone call] was that none of a particular family should be made suspect for Mary's disappearance."

In the statement, which he made last week, Mr Murray said: "I was not aware of any alleged phone call at the time and I subsequently heard the rumour many months later at a garda conference."

He said: "The reason Inspector Daly asked me to pause the interview was because of his genuine concern for the mental health of the person being interviewed. It was not for any other reason."

Mr Murray alleged that the Mary Boyle documentary was "selectively edited to suggest that this was because of political interference. This is absolutely incorrect."

The Mary Boyle documentary has had more than 140,000 views since it was broadcast on YouTube last month.

Two politicians have publicly denied making the phone call to Ballyshannon Garda Station. The Garda Commissioner has now asked the Serious Crime Review Team to re-examine the child's disappearance.

Documentary-maker Gemma O'Doherty did not provide a comment for publication, when contacted. She has assisted Mary's twin sister, Ann Doherty, and country singer Margo O'Donnell, who is a distant relative of the family, in their campaign for justice for Mary Boyle. Ann Doherty wants an inquest and is preparing a legal action to take to the European Convention on Human Rights, alleging malpractice by An Garda Siochana and the Government.

The issue of alleged political interference in the case was raised in the European Parliament by Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan and has been the subject of a number of statements by the party in recent months.

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