Soldier says rank downgraded after complaint of assault by army chaplain

The Defence Forces Tribunal heard that Sergeant Noel Brennan’s status was downgraded after he lodged a formal complaint about being sexually assaulted by former army chaplain Fr David Tyndall.

Brennan, who was applying to join a specific unit in 2015, said he feared the incident could harm his career prospects. He testified that the assault occurred at Fr Tyndall’s residence in Cathal Brugha Barracks when the chaplain, after asking for a hug, “nestled his head” into Brennan’s neck, kissed him and attempted to pull his trousers down.

Fr Tyndall, 58, was convicted in Dublin District Court in 2021 of kissing and touching Brennan, receiving a three‑month suspended sentence under the Sex Offenders Act. He had served as a Defence Forces chaplain from 2008 until his removal in 2021.

Brennan delayed reporting the assault, saying he did not want it to affect his career, but filed a formal complaint in May 2021 after a friend reported the matter. He said investigators repeatedly urged mediation, which he rejected, insisting on a formal complaint.

During the tribunal, Brennan recounted an unexpected Military Police investigator entering his interview on 19 May 2021 to discuss mediation, leaving him “a bit afraid.” He claimed his rank was immediately downgraded, preventing overseas service, and that the matter is now subject to legal proceedings.

Retired colonel Ian Byrne, former director of the Military Police, told the tribunal that the Defence Forces’ complaints process is “entirely robust” and has improved in recent years.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Héctor Berganza / Pexels.