Military judge faces 21-case backlog

A newly-appointed military judge faces a backlog of 21 cases when he begins his role in September.

Michael Campion will start work on Sep 4 after he was appointed as a colonel in the Permanent Defence Force this month.

Mr Campion’s appointment ends a two-year wait for a judge to hear cases following the retirement of the previous military judge in Jul 2010.

Since then, just three cases have been heard by an interim military judge, and Mr Campion will have to deal with 21 cases awaiting a decision when he takes up his position.

In 2010, members of the Defence Forces faced court martial for going absent without leave, assault, and in one case, sexual assault. The most serious sentences that year were handed down to a trooper under a summary court martial who was found guilty on six separate charges of going absent without leave.

The punishments ranged from a severe reprimand and €200 fine for the first offence to discharge from the defence forces and jail sentences of 30 days and then 14 days.

A Defence Forces spokesperson said: “The 21 cases represent the total number of cases in respect of which the director of military prosecutions has issued a direction to convene a general court martial or a limited court martial, or where he has issued a direction that a case be referred to a summary court martial.”

Not every act of indiscipline within the Defence Forces requires a hearing before a military judge.

According to the spokesperson, offences of a disciplinary nature have continued to be dealt with summarily under various sections of the Defence Acts 1954-2011, including offences of insubordinate behaviour, absence without leave, unauthorised use of service vehicles, and conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline.