Soldier suffered 'sectarian abuse'

Senior officers were criticised by the tribunal

A west Belfast Catholic who joined the Royal Irish Regiment was the victim of a campaign of sectarian harassment, an employment tribunal has found.

Private Patrick Murphy, 33, told the tribunal that the sectarian abuse became so serious that he tried to kill himself by inhaling car exhaust fumes.

Mr Murphy told the employment tribunal last December that the bullying began after fellow soldiers discovered he was a Catholic.

The tribunal ruled on Thursday that Mr Murphy was the victim of sectarian harassment while serving in Portadown, County Armagh in 1998.

Complaints

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

• Sectarian notes were left in his locker bullets were placed in his locker, including one with his name on it
• his helmet was stolen
• his wife received abusive sectarian phone calls
• he slept in an Army vehicle to escape the incessant abuse

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."

The Ministry of Defence said the Army would be giving careful consideration to the ruling.

A spokesman stressed that the MoD was an equal opportunities employer and would not tolerate any form of sectarian abuse or harassment.

The Royal Irish Regiment was formed in 1992, with the merger of the Royal Irish Rangers and the Ulster Defence Regiment.