Accused officer denies telling lies to court martial

AN AIR Corps officer yesterday denied telling lies to a court martial about an incident in which he is accused of using abusive language to his commanding officer.

Comdt Niall (Nile) Donohoe, who is attached to No 5 Support Wing in the Air Corps, has pleaded not guilty at a general court martial hearing in McKee Barracks to using threatening or insulting language to a superior.

Lieut Col Gerard O’Sullivan claimed Comdt Donohoe had used offensive language during his appraisal on January 30th in his office in Baldonnel airport.

Under cross-examination yesterday, military prosecutor Lieut Col Jerry Lane put it to Comdt Donohoe that he lied when he denied using the expression “you’re a little prick”.

Comdt Donohoe has insisted he said he actually used the words “this is a little prickly” to Lieut Col O’Sullivan at a meeting to discuss his annual appraisal.

Lieut Col Lane said the evidence that Comdt Donohoe had given under oath that he “chose to say I don’t recall” shows he had changed his story. “I put it to you Comdt Donohoe that you were lying at the time,” Lieut Col Lane said.

Comdt Donohoe denied the allegation and said he recalled writing on the appraisal sheet that Lieut Col O’Sullivan’s assessment was “inaccurate, defamatory . . . proof of his systematic bullying”.

Comdt Donohoe acknowledged he had made 180 “redress of wrong” complaints during his service and that former chief of staff of the Defence Forces Lieut Gen Dermot Earley had written to him in February 2009 describing his complaints as “vexatious and an abuse of process”. Comdt Donohoe said he had made so many complaints because previous grievances had not been dealt with properly. He described the complaints procedure in the Defence Forces as being “like the wild west”.

He told military judge Col Tony McCourt that he was aggrieved that Lieut Col O’Sullivan had demanded to see a letter from a senior doctor in the Defence Forces about his mental health marked “staff in confidence”.

Capt Mark Caulfield told the tribunal he was “flabbergasted” that Lieut Col O’Sullivan had demanded on August 11th last year to see the letter which was kept in a safe in Capt Caulfield’s office.

Lieut Col O’Sullivan ordered the safe containing the letter to be removed to his office. The letter was later returned to Comdt Donohoe. Capt Caulfield said he would not believe the evidence of Lieut Col O’Sullivan based on his experience of that incident.