Defence Forces Tribunal hears Naval recruits barricaded rooms after sexual assault incident

Two female Irish Naval Service recruits were forced to barricade themselves in their bedrooms at Haulbowline Naval Base after a man masturbated and ejaculated over their underwear and bed linen while they were away on a six‑day training course at Cork’s Kilworth Camp in August 2011.

The Defence Forces Tribunal heard that the man, described as “the person of interest”, had a history of sexual‑related offences, including a prior allegation of trespassing on private property to watch a child bathing and incidents in a TK Maxx store in Cork and the lingerie department of a Dunnes Stores. Gardaí were involved in each incident, and the man was dealt with under trespass laws.

Following the incident, the Military Police officer overseeing the investigation, former assistant Provost Marshal Kieran Lynch, told the tribunal that ensuring the recruits’ safety was not his responsibility. Senior counsel David Whelan, representing one of the recruits, highlighted that the women had taken measures such as pushing furniture against the door and securing drawers with locks and chains because no interim security improvements were made.

Mr Whelan argued that the Military Police investigator should have made interim recommendations in a progress report, a step the tribunal noted could have been taken with hindsight. Mr Lynch, who left the Naval Service in January 2012, maintained that the matter was outside the remit of the military police section.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Rizky Sabriansyah / Pexels.