An infuriated McBrearty Jnr yesterday accused the the tribunal of being more concerned about finding out if he is "psychologically unstable" than uncovering "the truth about the Donegal garda scandal".

"I am puzzled that the tribunal want me to be psychologically examined when the state has already had me examined during my High Court case, " he said.

"I am going to write to them and ask them to clarify the reasons why they want to have me undergo further examinations as I have given consent to be examined three times already."

McBrearty Jnr has branded the move as "sinister" because the proposed psychiatric and psychological assessment will be carried out by practitioners nominated by the tribunal.

"What relevance does any of this have to the terms of reference of the tribunal?" he asked.

"They should be more concerned with having the terms of reference widened so that the full truth will come out."

A senior legal source said last night that this is the first time any tribunal witness has been asked to undergo such psychiatric tests. "The tribunal have already been supplied with High Court documents including details of the witnesses' medical records, " the source also said.

McBrearty Jnr said he suffered from a psychiatric condition after being framed for the alleged 'murder' of Donegal cattle dealer Richie Barron in 1996. He said yesterday that he is no longer taking medication for this condition. "The only tablets I have been on in the past few years were tablets for high blood pressure when I represented myself at the tribunal, " he said. "I don't have any objection to anybody having my medical records. I already gave them over voluntarily in my High Court case and I have nothing to hide, " he added.

The Morris tribunal letter outlined that the medical assessment would involve "a trip to Dublin and perhaps one or two days of your time". In response, McBrearty said, "The tribunal is obviously intent on not allowing me to get on with my life even though the state has examined me three times."