Report due on soldier’s shock ordeal at the Curragh Camp

Military police investigating an attack on a soldier who was tied up and subjected to electric shocks by colleagues are likely to submit their report to a senior officer in the spring.

An investigation was launched late last year after the experienced soldier claimed he was assaulted at The Curragh camp when fellow troops grabbed him, tied him down on the ground with tent pegs, put wire around his toes and then subjected him to a number of electric shocks to the feet and chest.

The man claimed up to 30 colleagues were looking on as this took place and some of them even videoed the ordeal on camera phones.

The soldier, who is in his 30s, said the shocks were administered by winding up a field telephone and connecting wires from it to his body.

A Defence Forces spokesman said the military police investigation was ongoing and would take several more weeks to complete.

He said the report would be submitted to the senior officer who instigated the investigation. It will then be up to him to decided the course of action to be taken.

This could involve a summary trial at unit level, which would entail disciplinary action, possibly in the form of a monetary fine.

However, if the officer considers the charges to be on the serious scale he would be most likely to order a court marshal — which could lead to soldiers being dismissed.

The Defence Forces spokesman declined to reveal how many people had been interviewed, saying they wouldn’t make any further comments while the investigation was on-going.

The victim spoke to the Irish Examiner about his ordeal shortly after the investigation was launched.

“They took off my shoes and socks and put wire around my two big toes. They then hooked that up to a field telephone which [when wound up] gave me the electric shocks.

“They shocked me three or four times. One individual then took the barbed wire off my two toes and put it to my chest and I got shocked again,” he said. “They all thought it was a bit of a laugh.”

He said he also contacted gardaí, but as the incident took place within military jurisdiction it is being handled by military police.