Defence Forces launch two investigations following death of army apprentice in 1991

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

The Defence Forces launched two separate investigations into the alleged suicide and alleged bullying of an army apprentice in 1991, a tribunal has heard.

Apprentice Oliver Mullaney died at Devoy Barracks in Naas, Co Kildare on Saturday, June 22nd, 1991.

Contemporaneous reporting referred to his death as accidental.

On the second day of public oral hearings, the Defence Forces Tribunal heard that it was the widely held view within his platoon that his death was a suicide.

The tribunal also heard there was a belief that there was a connection between his alleged suicide and incidents of alleged bullying by one or potentially more senior personnel on the preceding Thursday, June 20th.

It emerged at the tribunal on Thursday that two separate investigations into Mr Mullaney’s death and the alleged bullying were launched in the aftermath.

Earlier this year, the tribunal had sought additional documents relating to investigations conducted by the military police (MP) in respect of the death of Mr Mullaney.

The order also requires all other names or identifying information to be anonymised or pseudonymised.

There has never been so many avenues for support, options for support both internally and externally

Under questioning from Michael Cush SC, for the tribunal, the current director of military police said the death of Mr Mullaney happened a decade before he joined the MP.

Colonel Damien Coakley said he was aware of certain matters about the incident but had no first-hand knowledge of the events or investigations.

It emerged that there were two separate MP investigations after Mr Mullaney’s death.

One was into the circumstances of his death on June 22nd while the other related to alleged bullying and abusive behaviour by one or more superior officers on the previous Thursday.

Asked if he was aware it was the widely held view within the platoon that Mr Mullaney’s death was a suicide, Col Coakley said yes.

The MP director also said he understood there was a connection between both incidents.

Col Coakley, who also holds the title of Provost Marshal, also told Mr Cush that under the lens of today and if it was up to him, both investigations would have been “rolled into one” and that this would be “common sense”.

He also said that An Garda Síochána has primacy in investigating fatalities within the Defence Forces, but the MP would look at the death from a “process perspective”.

He said “you’d have to investigate the connection” between two incidents of “close proximity” which had an “obvious impact on one another”.

Asked if that would also have been common sense in 1991, Col Coakley said he did not think he could fairly answer the question as he was not aware of the circumstances around the decision-making process at the time.

Mr Cush also said the tribunal would not make a determination on whether Mr Mullaney’s death was a suicide.

Earlier in the proceedings and on a more general overview of his role, Col Coakley said he had not encountered a situation where loyalty to the organisation or unit had impacted on or influenced its investigations.

He said that the military police conducts investigations on an independent basis.

Col Coakley said military police would always be alert to misplaced loyalty, adding that investigators are aware that it may be a factor or “may colour” evidence given.

However, he said its investigative process was “designed to work through that”.

He also outlined how all matters of sexual assault are now referred to An Garda Siochana for investigation, but this was previously not the case and some cases had been probed by the military police.

Meanwhile, the officer in charge of the Defence Forces’ Personnel Support Service (PSS), Commandant David Lyons, told the tribunal that the organisation was “unrecognisable today” compared with previous decades.

He said that while there had always been a responsibility on people in leadership positions to advocate for the welfare of personnel, he added that currently, “There has never been so many avenues for support, options for support both internally and externally.”

Cmdt Lyons said complaints of a sexual nature or other crimes are elevated to “appropriate authorities”.

Asked if there had been consideration to moving to a fully external support service, he said it had been discussed, but he was of the view that there was value in personnel being able to choose to talk to uniformed people who had a shared experience of military service.

He outlined other external support services available to personnel and their families.

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