Defence Forces Tribunal witness alleges he was placed in tub of chemicals

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

A witness at the Defence Forces Tribunal has alleged he was placed in a tub of chemicals in the early 1990s.

The Tribunal is examining allegations of sexual misconduct, bullying and discrimination in the Defence Forces following the recommendations of an independent review group (IRG).

The IRG report refenced the practice of “tubbing” which refers to the placing of an individual in a barrel, which may contain any combination of chemicals, oil, airplane fuel, deceased animal carcasses, or other substances, for the purposes of hazing or punishment.

The Tribunal is in its second week of public oral hearings.

At the outset of Tuesday’s proceedings, the Tribunal’s sole member Ms Justice Ann Power reiterated that it is not tasked with determining the merits of individual complaints of abuse and has no power to do so.

Witnesses are not permitted to name any alleged abusers who are to be anonymous under the terms of the inquiry.

On Tuesday, witness Paul Kavanagh explained how he underwent recruit training at Cabra Barracks in 1988 when he was 22.

He alleged he had experienced a “series of kind of bullying incidents” with another recruit who was the younger brother of a trainee NCO.

He said there was “nowhere to complain because it was deemed as a weakness and you were a moaner or you were a cribber”.

We were scalped, actually

Under questioning by Mr Michael Cush SC, for the Tribunal, he also explained how he and five others were “scalped” later that year when they were locked in a room and had their heads shaved.

He alleged that officers had told them not to go to the newspapers and to wear hats for the next few weekends they went home.

According to Tuesday’s transcript, Mr Kavanagh said: “I don’t think we got out the following weekend because the hair was that bad. We were scalped, actually.”

Asked if he made a complaint about the matter, he said: “You couldn’t make a complaint because, in the 80s, I mean, you’d just lose your job in the Army.”

He also alleged that there was a culture that discouraged seeking mental health support.

There was actually a dead crow on top of the tub

Mr Kavanagh told the Tribunal that he was working in Gormanston Camp in the early 1990s when he experience a “tubbing” incident.

“One day I was working in the stores, like, I was giving out parts over the counter, Judge, and I think six/seven guys, maybe more, came into the stores and I was grabbed by the throat, the shirt, dragged across three bays to a tub.”

He added: “There was a corner of the hangar, outside the hangar and I was submerged in the tub, full of a mixture of chemicals, oil and everything.

“All the waste from the hangar was all put into this big tub.

“There was actually a dead crow on top of the tub.

“That’s what I can remember, is this dead crow, was the last thing I seen.”

Asked by Mr Cush if he was the only one, he said he “wouldn’t have been the only one but not everybody was tubbed”.

He added: “There was other guys tubbed and nothing was done, nothing was done about it.”

Mr Kavanagh said he had an itchy rash on his scalp coming and going since.

The hearing of evidence from an anonymous witness in the afternoon session did not proceed as planned as the Tribunal became aware of two volumes of potentially relevant documentation to which the witness had not given a statement.

Mr Cush said it was regrettable and unfortunate, particularly for the witness herself.