Coveney warns of 'severe consequences' after soldier tied up with barbed wire

Defence Minister Simon Coveney has warned of "pretty severe consequences" after it emerged that a soldier was tied up and barbed wire that was used to give him electric shocks.

A military police investigation is underway into the alleged incident at the Curragh when the soldier was tied with cable ties and the shocks were administered through the wire from a field telephone.

It is claimed up to 30 other soldiers looked on and that camera phones were used to video-record it.

"I'm very unhappy about it," said Minister Coveney.

"We have a full investigation underway now, which is a military police investigation, and there will be a full and very thorough investigation of exactly what happened, why, and when, and how, and I suspect there will be pretty severe consequences as a result of that report, but I don't want to anticipate the outcome at this stage."