A serving member of the Defence Forces has told Prime Time that members who raised concerns in the wake of allegations of sexual assault at a controversial June 2020 barbecue are being silenced.
Several members of the Defence Forces told Prime Time that they have serious reservations about how the McKee Barracks barbecue and subsequent incidents were handled.
They spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could speak openly about their concerns regarding the culture in the Defence Forces.
One soldier told Prime Time that the events of 25 June 2020 were widely discussed within the Defence Forces.
"I would say there are few officers in the Defence Forces who do not know about this. If you tomorrow were to walk into an officer's mess and ask the question about the barbecue, everybody would know what you were talking about," he said.
But, 20 months after two colleagues were allegedly sexually assaulted, no action has been taken.
The only people to face charges as a result of the events were a group of soldiers who discussed the allegations in a closed WhatsApp group.
"To me, it stinks of attempts to silence people talking about it," the solider, who has been speaking to those involved, told Prime Time.
The solider said he had thought long and hard about speaking out about the incident, particularly because the consequences for his career would be devastating should he be caught for speaking to the media.
Internal documents obtained by Prime Time confirm that the Defence Forces is aware of allegations about the sexual assault of a second female officer on the night in question.
The documents were circulated within the Defence Forces following the emergence of allegations about a senior member of the Defence Forces, who allegedly became highly intoxicated after the barbecue.
But the soldier told Prime Time that neither he, nor anyone else, was aware of a formal military investigation into the alleged sexual assaults.
If there were one, those present would have been called as witnesses. During such military investigations, members being called as witnesses are put on notice, and a list of witnesses is circulated to everyone.
They are ordered to appear before military police as part of the investigation.
There was widespread shock, then, when members of the private WhatsApp group received a witness list regarding their messages. They also received a "Summary Charge Sheet", setting out the charges against them, several of which were obtained by Prime Time.
They accuse the soldiers of disclosing "inappropriate information relating to a service matter". They also accuse others of using "unacceptable" language about "a female subordinate".
In one text exchange obtained by Prime Time, a member of the group details what is alleged to have happened. He said a soldier grabbed a subordinate's breasts.
"He grabs the *** by her knockers and makes a tooting noise," the message said.
The incident is said to have happened after two female soldiers ordered a superior to return to his room because he was very drunk and making a nuisance of himself at the barbecue.
The WhatsApp exchange goes on to detail an alleged assault on a second female soldier. The texter claims the man forced the head of another subordinate towards his crotch.
"Grabs the *** by her head and forces her head towards his crotch," the second message said.
Prime Time has removed the rank of the members who were allegedly sexually assaulted to protect their identity.
While several of the members of the Defence Forces who spoke to Prime Time accepted that the language used was in poor taste, they also said that, instead of pursuing the alleged culprit, those who were talking about what happened – and raising concerns – were instead being targeted.
"I think it's infuriating that there's kind of a witch hunt to follow up with those things when, quite obviously, there is a far bigger issue at play here," the solider who spoke to Prime Time said.
The Defence Forces declined to respond to questions from Prime Time relating to whether any charges had been brought against the alleged perpetrator, whether there was a Court Martial, and whether an investigation into the incident had concluded.
It said that it could not comment, since "the matter is the subject of on ongoing investigation".
Defence Minister Simon Coveney has asked a barrister to conduct an external review of how the matter was handled, and, in a pointed statement, his Department said the Minister ordered the review, "given the length of time between the alleged incidents and the conclusion of military investigations".
Speaking to Prime Time on Tuesday, Mr Coveney said that a military judicial process was now underway.
"There is a court martial process underway in relation to this incident," he said.
The external review is likely to examine claims that, when the alleged perpetrator was called to a meeting with the two women, he refused to apologise and instead offered them gift vouchers.
It is also likely to establish when Military Police commenced their investigation into the alleged incident. If there was an undue passage of time, it could have consequences.
The alleged incident emerged against the backdrop of wider allegations about the culture that remains within the army.
In September of last year, Katie Hannon’s Women of Honour documentary on RTÉ Radio 1 laid bare how women in the Defence Forces have been treated, giving shocking insight into rape, harassment, bullying, misogyny – and a system that failed to tackle it.
The Chief of Staff apologised on behalf of the Defence Forces, and said he was shocked and hugely moved. Mr Coveney announced a review of the Defence Forces.
Mr Coveney was present at a speech by President Michael D Higgins – the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces – when he commended the women for speaking out.
At the same time, members of the Defence Forces were discussing the controversial barbecue, which was organised by the Joint Taskforce on Covid.
The taskforce was established to coordinate the Defence Forces’ contribution to the Government’s Covid-19 response.
The barbecue was held during lockdown, while there was a ban on inter-country travel and on gatherings of more than 15 people. There were far more than 15 people at the barbecue – and Prime Time understands that people from outside Dublin travelled to the event at McKee Barracks in Cabra, Dublin.
A review within the army has concluded the event was not in breach of the Government’s Covid guidelines – and that it was a work event.
But, given the allegations of sexual assault, the potential breaches of Covid guidelines are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the events at McKee Barracks.
"The Joint Taskforce that was formed to combat Covid 19 ends up having a barbecue – a function that breaks the Covid 19 protocols. And then someone goes away and sexually assaults two women. But the issue that the military authorities decide to pursue is people sending text messages about it," said the soldier who spoke to Prime Time.
"So that's infuriating and probably sees priorities misplaced somewhere. And I think the fact that action can be taken so swiftly against text messages, and not so much for breaking Government guidelines and sexual assaults… I don't know. It's bizarre, to say the least," he said.
"We talk about reform, we talk about change, and we say that we're changing our ways. That it’s not the way we are anymore, and that we're doing our best – but it's all bullshit."
