Twenty soldiers court-martialed for conduct

MEMBERS of the Defence Forces have been court- martialed for going absent without leave, assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice, according to new data.

Information provided to the Irish Examiner has revealed that since 2008 some members of the Defence Forces have been jailed for breaches of discipline at the Curragh Camp’s detention centre, with one private being sentenced to a total of 74 days detention and ultimately discharge from the Defence Forces after six instances of going absent without leave (AWOL).

That case was heard this year, as was another where a private was sentenced to two months imprisonment and also discharged after going AWOL four times. Another private was jailed for 20 days for going AWOL for 323 days.