
Defence Forces driver appears before military court over alleged repeated failure to stop coach for toilet trips
A summary
2
A hearing took place at the Military Justice Centre in McKee Barracks, Dublin
Credit: Wikipedia
The driver eventually pulled in on a hard shoulder and told his passengers that 'anyone who needs to p**s and s**t can go there.'
Private Aidan Graham, who is based in the Curragh Camp in
The accused is charged with various breaches of the Defence Act 1954 over his alleged conduct on March 15, 2019 while driving 20
Pte Graham is accused of four counts of disobeying a lawful command of a superior officer including two in relation to refusing to stop the bus at a service station.
Read more in News
Five other charges relate to accusations that Pte Graham used threatening or insulting language or behaving in an insubordinate manner towards his superiors, including remarking to one NCO: 'I'm sick of this f***ing s**t, I'm going home. I've been on the road since 5am.'
Opening the case for the prosecution, counsel for the Director of Military Prosecutions, Lieutenant Colonel Shane Keogh BL told the military judge, Colonel Michael Campion, said the orders to make a stop on a 200km-plus journey were 'necessary and reasonable.'
'He did not act in ignorance. He acted in defiance,' remarked Lt Col Keogh.
After the bus was pulled into a hard shoulder, Corporal Paul Burke said he would not let 20 soldiers in uniform go to the toilet on the side of a road as someone would take a photo which would appear in newspapers and
Most read in Irish News
The trial heard that it was established that nobody else on the coach was qualified to drive the vehicle to allow Pte Graham to be relieved of his duties.
Corporal Burke described the driver's demeanour as 'crazy.'
IN A RUSH
When they arrived at Cathal Brugha Barracks, he said he was twice told to 'f**k off' by Pte Graham when he ordered him to get out of the bus.
Sergeant Derek Rochford, who was a corporal at the time, admitted that the driver had told him at Finner Camp that he was in a rush as he had to be back as quickly as possible 'for another detail.'
After the incident on the hard shoulder, Sgt Rochford said he did not feel it was safe to ask Pte Graham to stop again.
Several other passengers who were on the bus also gave evidence about the driver's refusal to stop for a toilet break apart from pulling in on a hard shoulder.
An officer in the Defence Forces'
However, Commandant Ciaran Haughton said a document would need to be endorsed for any deviation from the driver's detail.
The hearing was adjourned and resumes on Tuesday.
2
A driver in the Defence Forces has appeared before a military court
Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Sunday World
8 hours ago
- Sunday World
Two injured as Bohs and Derry City fans clash with sticks, bats and iron bars
Videos circulating online show people, some of them with their faces covered, fighting in the street. Carl Winchester of Derry City after a flare was thrown onto the pitch during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Derry City and Bohemians at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Derry City players Carl Winchester, Sam Todd and Mark Connolly after a flare was thrown onto the pitch during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Derry City and Bohemians at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Videos circulating online appear to show trouble outside the stadium. Two people were injured after rival fans clashed with sticks, bats and iron bars at last night's match between Bohemians and Derry City. Violent scenes unfolded outside the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry before and after the League of Ireland fixture. Videos circulating online show people, some of them with their faces covered, fighting in the street. Today the PSNI said two people needed hospital treatment. Videos circulating online appear to show trouble outside the stadium. News in 90 Seconds - July 26th Local SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan was at the game, and said he was left frightened by what he had witnessed. Sinn Fein MLA Padraig Delargy, meanwhile, said 'so-called football supporters from Dublin' attacked local people. Police believe the violence was orchestrated. Derry City players Carl Winchester, Sam Todd and Mark Connolly after a flare was thrown onto the pitch during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Derry City and Bohemians at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile The PSNI said disorder was focused in the Lecky Road and Lone Moor Road areas. 'Shortly after 7pm on Friday evening, police were made aware of two large groups of rival football supporters in the area attacking each other near the Lecky Road flyover with sticks, bats and iron bars and causing damage to buildings and cars parked in the area. "A teenage boy and a man aged in his 20s sustained injuries as a result of this incident and were taken to hospital for treatment. "Further disorder then occurred in the vicinity of the Brandywell stadium during and after a football match which was taking place. "Officers were in attendance and worked along with stadium staff to bring the disorder under control. No arrests have been made at this time.' Superintendent William Calderwood said: 'We believe that the disorder we witnessed on Friday evening was pre-arranged and we will be reviewing all available footage to identify those involved.' Speaking today, Mr Durkan condemned the trouble, saying 'thugs came to Derry masked and armed with an array of weapons.' He said: 'In terms of scale and the level of violence and danger to those in the vicinity, we haven't seen anything like this and I hope we never do again." Mr Durkan said he was late to the match due to an unrelated incident, and arrived to find the stadium 'in lockdown'. He said a bus-load of fans – separate to the organised Bohs travelling support – arrived in the city and caused problems, which continued after the full-time whistle when some locals retaliated. 'A bus-load of people - I wouldn't call them fans - came here intent on causing bother,' he said. 'I can't be certain it was an organised fight but there certainly seemed to be elements of choreography to their attack. 'The stewards at the Brandywell were under a lot of pressure. I was speaking to them in the second half and after the match, and they did their best in a very difficult situation. So too the police, who were liaising with the stewards and the security team at the Brandywell.' Mr Durkan described how he had to leave quickly after a group of visiting fans ran in his direction. 'At one point the Derry security team was trying to keep the Bohs fans in the ground but 40 or 50 broke away and just came towards where I was standing,' he added. 'It was genuinely scary. I don't scare easily but we did turn on our heels and go in the opposite direction. "People were genuinely frightened and that shouldn't be the case, especially when they go to a football match.' Mr Durkan said trouble continued as the game ended. Carl Winchester of Derry City after a flare was thrown onto the pitch during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Derry City and Bohemians at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile 'There were people gathered with sticks, golf clubs and fireworks. They were roaming the perimeter prior to the match ending, and they were masked up as well,' he said. 'So while I have pointed the finger, accurately I believe, at the people who came on the bus for starting the bother, the stuff afterwards was retaliatory.' The match was also briefly suspended after a flare was thrown from outside the ground onto the pitch. Local Sinn Fein MLA Padraig Delargy also condemned the trouble. He said many people in the area had felt frightened. 'The sight of masked youths armed with an array of weapons, and fighting in the streets before turning on the PSNI, was terrifying for local residents, including children, who witnessed this appalling violence,' he said. 'In what seems to have been a pre-arranged attack connected to a football match at the Brandywell, the violence erupted when so-called football supporters from Dublin attacked local youths as well as cars and property belonging to residents. "That is disgraceful and the violence that took place on our streets needs to be condemned. "It threatened the safety and well-being of local residents and stands in stark contrast to the fantastic work that is going on in the area through the Féile and the redevelopment of Meenan Square.' The match finished in a 1-1 draw. Afolabi Akinyemi's first goal for the Candystripes broke the deadlock, before Ross Tierney levelled things for Bohemians. Derry City and Bohemians have been contacted for comment.


Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Thomas ‘Bomber' Kavanagh faces rest of his life in prison if he doesn't pay €1.3m
In a statement the NCA said Kavanagh has three months to pay £1.1 million sterling or he faces 12 years in prison. Senior Kinahan cartel boss Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh faces 12 more years in jail if he does not pay the British State over €1.26 million following a proceeds of crime investigation. The gangster is already serving a total of 27 years in an English prison after being convicted of drugs trafficking, firearms offences and money laundering. If he is unable to provide the money, the 57-year-old Drimnagh native faces spending the rest of his life behind bars. The development was announced today by the UK'S National Crime Agency (NCA) who described 'Bomber' as the head of the Kinahan crime group in the UK. Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh News in 90 Seconds - July 25th In a statement the NCA said Kavanagh has three months to pay £1.1 million sterling or he faces 12 years in prison. 'He was jailed for 21 years in March 2022 for orchestrating the importation of multi-million-pound drug shipments worth around £30million at UK street value,' the NCA said in a statement. However he was given another six years last October he orchestrated a gun cache plot from prison. The NCA said: 'He also admitted being involved in the illegal trafficking of firearms and money laundering. 'Another high-ranking gang member, Gary Vickery, 43, was arrested in October 2017 after NCA officers seized 15 kilos of cocaine and more than 220 kilos of cannabis which was found inside a six-tonne industrial tarmac removal machine in Dover. 'Subsequent investigations showed Kavanagh was heading up the criminal enterprise, and he was arrested at Birmingham airport as he returned from holiday in January 2019. 'Following his sentencing, NCA investigators began looking into the gang's finances and assets for seizure under the Proceeds of Crime Act. 'Officers estimated that Kavanagh's criminal profits were in the region £12.2m, but recoverable assets amounted to £1,123,096.84. 'This includes his 50% share of his fortified family mansion in Tamworth, Staffordshire, money from the sale of various other properties in the UK and a villa in Spain, and approximately £150,000 of high-end bags, clothes and accessories which were discovered 'when Kavanagh's house was searched following his initial arrest in 2019. Vickery was also subject to the POCA hearing and has been ordered to pay back £109,312.90 within three months or face another two years in prison. 'At previous hearings orders were made to forfeit an Audemars Piguet watch worth £75,000, as well as just over 100,000 euros that was seized from a hotel room when Vickery was arrested. 'In October 2024, Thomas Kavanagh admitted additional firearms offences and perverting the course of justice, after NCA officers uncovered an elaborate plan that Kavanagh hoped would significantly reduce his prison sentence. 'Kavanagh directed his trusted associates Shaun Kent and Liam Byrne to purchase firearms and ammunition and bury them so he could reveal their whereabouts to NCA investigators. All three were jailed for a total of 17 years, with Kavanagh's six years to be served on top of his 21-year sentence. Kay Mellor, Head of Operations HQ at the National Crime Agency, said: 'Thomas Kavanagh was the head of the UK's arm of the Kinahan organised crime group, responsible for the importation and distribution of drugs and firearms, making millions of pounds in the process. 'He and his gang believed they were untouchable, but that proved to be their downfall. Kavanagh and Vickery will be behind bars for many years to come and now have to pay back more than £1 million to the state. 'We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to target, disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups, deprive them of their assets and ensure they face justice'. Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor, said: 'Thomas Kavanagh and Gary Vickery are dangerous criminals in the organised gang world, importing millions of pounds worth of dangerous drugs on an industrial scale to the UK. 'This successful £1 million Confiscation Order demonstrates the prosecution team's commitment to work across borders to strip organised criminals of their illegal gains. 'We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly and will return them back to court to serve an additional sentence of imprisonment if they fail to pay their orders. 'In the last five years, over £478 million has been recovered from CPS obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot benefit from their offending. £95 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.'


The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Mystery of missing woman with ‘dragon tattoo' who vanished after trip to Morrisons as cops fear she's been murdered
THE mystery of a missing woman with a dragon tattoo who was last seen a year ago today continues. A man has been rearrested and bailed in connection with the investigation into the disappearance of Advertisement 5 Charlene was last seen a year ago today, July 24 5 She has a distinctive dragon tattoo on her back that the public were asked to look out for Today marks exactly one year since A reward of up to £20,000 for information on the Charlene, from Cardiff, vanished after a trip to Morrisons, with CCTV from the store capturing her on July 23 last year. The last confirmed sighting of her was a mobile phone photograph taken the day after at a property in Broadway, Adamsdown. Advertisement Read more in News Charlene has a Two men, aged 45 and 43, and a 38-year-old woman, were arrested in connection with the investigation, but were released on bail pending further enquiries. The So far, the investigation into Charlene's disappearance has included ten media appeals, 400 people linked to the investigation spoken to, 629 properties visited, more than Advertisement Most read in The Sun Despite the desperate and tireless efforts of police, Charlene's disappearance remains a mystery. Cops Mystery swirls in hunt for missing woman who vanished after trip to Morrisons as cops share new CCTV A number of people contacted cops to say they Officers urged the unknown individuals and any potential witnesses to come forward at the time, they have today reissued their appeal for information. Advertisement On July 29 last year Witnesses claimed the mum may have been wearing a blue jacket when she was seen. 5 Charlene is a mother, sister and daughter Credit: South Wales Police 5 She was spotted on CCTV in a Morrisons in Cardiff Credit: South Wales Police Advertisement Nearly four months after she vanished, witnesses reported seeing She was allegedly spotted in the store on November 1 with a young boy who looked to be around four-years-old. Another woman, around 40, with short burgundy dyed hair, approached Advertisement Later a Nissan Micra was seized as part of the investigation into Charlene's disappearance. It was found in St Helen's Close, Abergavenny, on 29 October last year, the motor was originally red and largely painted black, but was found burnt-out. Detective Chief Inspector Matt Powell, from South Wales Police, said today: 'The investigation into the disappearance of Charlene is complex and meticulous. 'Despite a huge number of enquiries, which are continuing, unfortunately no one has come forward with information about Advertisement 'We remain committed to finding Charlene and a specialist team of officers and staff are focused on the investigation.' DCI Powell added: "Charlene is a mother, a sister, a daughter, and a friend to many. "We understand that this is an 'Charlene's family are supported by a family liaison officer, and we continue to communicate with them in line with their wishes, only to have contact when there is a significant development. Advertisement ' 5 Both of the last confirmed sightings of Charlene were in Cardiff