RIR Battallion Commander faces second inquiry

A second inquiry into the conduct of Royal Irish Regiment Batallion Commander Colonel Tim Collins is ongoing.

It was dislosed today that an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the apparent suicide of an 18-year-old private soldier, Paul Cochrane, at Drumaad barracks, Co Armagh in Northern Ireland, two years ago.

Colonel Collins, who won international plaudits for his moving pre-battle speech in Iraq, was the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment at the time, and the MoD confirmed that there is a routine inquiry into the events leading up to Private Cochrane's death.

Lt. Colonel Collins, recently promoted to full colonel when his battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment was relieved from the battle zone last month, is alleged to have breached articles of the Geneva Convention during the recent hostilities. The MoD's Special Investigations Branch (SIB) is investigating.

The most serious allegations, which have been referred by a US soldier, surround suggestions that he pistol-whipped an Iraqi civic leader and fired his pistol at an Iraqi vehicle when no threat was posed to his men.

Local politicians have questioned the veracity of the US officers' allegations as they have not apparently been upheld by anecdotal evidence from a number of reporters who were close to or embedded with the troops in Basra during the Iraq war.

Colonel Collins could face a court martial and dismissal if the allegations are proven. He has strenuously denied the charges.

Tim Collins, who has been a professional soldier for 22 years, made headlines across the globe for the rallying speech he gave to the 650 men of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Regiment, on March 19.

(GMcG/SP)