Counsel for Nóirín O'Sullivan has told the Disclosures Tribunal he did not attack Maurice McCabe at the O'Higgins Commission.

Colm Smyth said he had suffered personally due to claims he had attacked the Garda whistleblower at the inquiry.

The former Garda Commissioner, meanwhile, may be called back to the Tribunal over a document describing Sgt McCabe as a paranoiac.

The Disclosures Tribunal is currently trying to establish if Nóirín O'Sullivan relied on inappropriate grounds to discredit Maurice McCabe at the O'Higgins Commission.

The former Garda Commissioner's senior counsel at the inquiry took exception when he was asked did he need permission to attack Sgt McCabe.

Colm Smyth also said Commissioner O'Sullivan never used the word integrity, and described it as 'lawyer speak' if a person had no evidence to back up their allegations, integrity could be applied - but not in reference to their character

There were testy exchanges between Mr Smyth and Counsel for Maurice McCabe, Michael McDowell, over the intention to attack Sgt McCabe or not.

This morning, Mr McDowell told the Tribunal he'd received an extract from an internal garda report yesterday which referred to his client as a paranoiac who lost control of his station.

Michael McDowell said he'd like to have Commissioner O'Sullivan back to ask her about the document.

Chairman Peter Charleton said it may be necessary, but he wasn't saying yes or no.