Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cop killer Brady’s prison arrest over ‘witness threats’
Thug one of seven to be quizzed by intimidation probe detectives
EVIL Aaron Brady was arrested in his jail cell yesterday over suspected witness intimidation during his trial for the murder of Irish policeman Adrian Donohoe.
The 29-year-old, who was lifted by cops in Portlaoise Prison in the early hours of the morning, was being quizzed by officers last night.
Brady was jailed for life last month for the murder of the detective, 41, druing a credit union raid in Co Louth in 2013.
S e n i o r of f i c e r s a re questioning him over witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice and the unlawful use of mobile phones in prison.
The Co Armagh man was the seventh person to be arrested as part of the investigation and it came less than 24 hours after another close associate was quizzed by detectives.
The man, in his 50s, was released a number of hours later and a file will be prepared for the DPP.
A Garda spokesman said: “Gardai attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrested a male in his 20s as part of the ongoing investigation regarding allegations of witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice and the unlawful use of mobile phones in the prison environment related to the recent criminal trial of DPP versus Aaron Brady.” A campaign of intimidation against key witnesses was a constant feature throughout the murder trial.
Video of a crucial prosecution witness giving Garda interviews were leaked online, describing the man as “a rat” . Presiding judge Mr Justice Michael White described it as “the most outrageous contempt of court” he had ever seen.
Brady is suspected of using an armed robber while he was in New York.
This Mountjoy inmate, in turn allegedly used a Dublin gang to threaten and intimidate prosecution witnesses due to testify.
Brady allegedly attacked a key witness in the US and warned him to keep his mouth shut – while the Dublin gang allegedly intimidated witnesses in Louth and South Armagh.
Just two people testified they heard the killer, from Crossmaglen, admit to shooting a garda, but five more made statements linking him to the murder. One of those who refused to testify was allegedly assaulted by Brady in a bar in the Bronx – but he made a detailed statement to Homeland Security two years later.