McConnell has suffered serious psychiatric illness since she was taken into garda custody on 4 December 1996, and had to undergo electric shock treatments to help her through the trauma.

With two senior gardai having dramatically changed their evidence at the Morris tribunal, she has now demanded a public apology.

"The gardai never admitted liability during my High Court action against the state three years ago. I ended up settling the case because my doctors advised that I was not getting any better, " said Roisin. "I am now calling on Michael McDowell, on behalf of the state, and Commissioner Conroy, as the boss of the gardai who lied about my allegations, to publicly apologise to me."

While gardai have had their legal costs at the Morris tribunal paid, Roisin and her husband Mark McConnell have not and they have decided to stay away from the tribunal until the state agrees to foot their massive legal bills.

The Sunday Tribune has exclusively learned that Minister McDowell has offered the McConnells an interim payment of 350,000 towards their legal costs at the tribunal in the last fortnight. However, the McConnells believe the amount offered is "a derisory amount" and "seems like a propaganda mission by McDowell."

"Frank McBrearty Snr, Frank Jnr, Michael Peoples and myself met the minister last December with our concerns, " said Mark. "We explained to him that it was extremely unfair that the garda's legal team is so well funded while we have no support whatsoever. He got back to us on 15 March with what we see to be a derisory offer of 350,000 for work already done by our solicitors.

"The interim payment of 350,000 will not even cover what they are owed already. But this is not about money, it is just about fairness at the tribunal and everybody playing on an even playing field. The fact that the gardai are so heavily financed and we are not is disgraceful."

In McDowell's letter to the McConnells he explains that he has "considered the exceptional circumstances of the case." Mark McConnell said: "I would like him to explain what these 'exceptional circumstances' are as there was no mention of them during the last module."

Roisin recalls that before 1996 she had "nothing but respect for the gardai" and her late father would often enjoy a drink with a garda in Raphoe. The last decade has been horrific for the McConnells and Roisin vividly recalls the day she was taken into custody for the murder thatnever-was of Richie Barron.

"On the way to work on 4 December, 1996, I saw a garda checkpoint on the road beside the Fruit of the Loom factory in Raphoe where I worked, " said Roisin. "At first I thought there had been an accident and when the garda came over to my car and asked me to step out I thought that some of my own family had been in the accident. I couldn't believe it when I was told that I was being arrested in connection with the murder of Richie Barron."

Roisin was then taken into custody in Letterkenny garda station where she alleges she was harassed and verbally abused.

"I was told my son would be taken off me and put into care and that I would do seven years in jail, " she claims. "I was shown post-mortem photographs of Richie Barron while the lights were turned on and off in the room. They told me in dirty language that they knew I was having an affair and that my husband was also having one.

One of them even lifted his leg and passed wind at me."

She claims that one of the gardai was so angry that he was frothing at the mouth and spitting at the wall. "One of them told me that he hoped that I was stabbed on the street in Raphoe and he would come up and spit on my grave when I die."

As well as being taken into custody, the McConnells were also regularly followed in their car by gardai and had gardai banging at their door at almost midnight to issue them with a summons. "Roisin was afraid to stay in the house for a long time after that, " Mark said.

Roisin's mother is an elderly widow and her three daughters Roisin, Katrina Brolly, who gave evidence at the Morris tribunal last week, and Edel Quinn, who is due to give evidence, were all taken into custody in 1996.

"My mother has not been well since the whole thing happened and the only thing that has kept her going is that she knew we were all innocent, " said Roisin.

Describing Roisin's illness, Mark explained that she is still under psychiatric care with doctors."Ten days after Roisin got out of custody she was admitted to Letterkenny psychiatric ward. She was left in such a state that she didn't even know any of her family and even her own child.

"After nine weeks in the hospital she was not improving so they decided to give her ECT treatment, which is an electric shock to the brain. She received three of these treatments and eventually came back to a bit of normality. She was so bad that she refused to allow the male nursing staff treat her as she thought they were detectives.

"Eventually she had to be admitted on an involuntary basis where they could force the medication into her to try and bring her around."

Seven weeks ago Roisin gave birth to Jamie;

their other son Dean is 11 years old. "Most of Dean's childhood was wiped from our memories as we were so preoccupied with everything, " said Mark.

"We have a new baby now so hopefully we will get a bit of peace and start to look forward to the rest of our lives."