Ex-soldier 'driven to brink' seeks compensation

An ex-soldier who claimed he was driven to the brink of suicide because of anti-Catholic abuse while serving with the Royal Irish Regiment is to seek compensation from the British Ministry of Defence, it was revealed today.

The move followed an employment tribunal ruling which accepted 33-year-old Private Patrick Murphy was the victim of sectarian harassment while serving in Portadown, Co Armagh in 1998.

The victimisation was so bad that at one stage he tried to kill himself with car exhaust fumes, it was claimed.

The ruling also hit out at senior officers who failed to deal with his complaints, in which he alleged:

* anti-Catholic notes were left in his locker

* bullets were placed in his locker, one with his name on it

* his helmet was stolen

* his wife received abusive sectarian phone calls

* he slept in a Land Rover in order to escape the constant intimidation.

The tribunal said of senior officers in its ruling: “While they all professed to take such sectarian problems seriously, their actions belied their words and wherever the direction came from to ignore the applicant’s allegations of sectarian abuse, the effect was to leave him feeling isolated and unsupported by his superiors.”

Tom Campbell, of the Belfast firm of solicitors Campbell Stafford, confirmed Mr Murphy, from west Belfast, would now be pursuing compensation.

He said: “He will be delighted that his bravery in taking an action against the MoD has been fully vindicated.

“He is greatly appreciative of the full support of the Equality Commission in taking this case on and will no doubt look forward to the hearing on remedies.”

There will now be a hearing to decide on compensation.

Mr Murphy is currently on holiday.

During the five week case Mr Murphy described how he was driven to attempt suicide in October 1998 after months of harassment from other soldiers in his platoon.

He said that after finding out his religion, fellow squaddies placed sectarian notes and live bullets in his locker, subjected him to vicious anti-Catholic taunts and made threatening phone calls to his family.

Mr Murphy added his situation became so bad that he slept in an army Land Rover to prevent the abuse continuing at night.

After speaking to a medical officer, he went home and tried to kill himself by attaching a piece of garden hose to his car exhaust.

The tribunal accepted that he was subjected to harassment in Portadown but did not accept his claims that the abuse continued when he was transferred to Ballykinler Camp, in Co Down, in March 1999.

A total of 36 soldiers were called by the British Army to deny that Mr Murphy had been singled out because of his religion.

Stephen Ritchie, the barrister representing the MoD, had argued during the case that Mr Murphy faked his suicide bid and fabricated the campaign of intimidation.

However, the applicant’s barrister, Noelle McGrenera QC, said it had been a serious attempt to take his own life and if he had not received speedy medical attention he would have died.

Ms McGrenera also accused the British Army of failing to co-operate fully with the tribunal.

She said the military authorities had “lost documents, failed to produce documents, produced photocopies of partial documents and failed to produce his original application to the Army.”

A BritishArmy spokesman said: “We are currently considering the findings which we will study carefully.”

The Equality Commission, which supported the case, welcomed the tribunal’s decision.

Professor Barry Fitzpatrick, head of legal policy and advice at the commission, said: “In this case, the tribunal have found that Mr Murphy was left feeling isolated and unsupported because his allegations were ignored.

“The outcome of this case emphasises the importance of all employers making sure, not only that they have strong equal opportunities and anti-harassment policies in place but that they are fully implemented and enforced.”