Senior Army officer taken into custody after allegedly crashing car at barracks

A senior Army officer was taken into custody by military police over the weekend after allegedly crashing his car at a Defence Forces base in the early hours of the morning.

The officer had arrived back at Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines, Dublin, after a night’s socialising when the incident occurred.

He is due to be “paraded” in front of his commanding officer early this week to answer for his alleged actions and may also face a court martial, sources said.

After midnight on Saturday, the officer arrived at the gates of the barracks on foot in the company of another person who was not a Defence Forces member.

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A sentry asked for the identification of the officer and his companion. It is understood at this point the officer was allegedly verbally abusive to the sentry.

On being admitted to the base with the other person, the officer got in his car which was parked near the front gate. Due to the large size of Cathal Brugha Barracks, Defence Forces personnel often use their cars to drive to and from their accommodation and the front gate.

As he was driving back to his accommodation, the officer allegedly crashed into a pole before leaving the scene of the accident.

Into custody

Military Police on duty at the time tracked down the officer some time later and took him into custody for the night. He was released the next morning. It is understood the Garda Síochána has not become involved in the investigation.

A Defence Forces spokeswoman said on Sunday it could not comment “as this matter remains the subject of an ongoing investigation”.

Separately, a Military Police investigation is ongoing into allegations a male member of the Air Corps sent inappropriate images to a female colleague. The investigation began two weeks ago after the woman, who is aged in her 20s, made a complaint to officials in the Department of Defence.

The Defence Forces operates under an independent justice where alleged offenders are prosecuted in military courts before a military judge.