§ Mr. P. O'BRIENasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state by whom were the charges of indiscipline preferred against Sergeant Flynn and Constable Sullivan, of the Slate Quarry station, county Kilkenny, in March last, and giving the nature of the charge in each case; were the charges framed according 1593W to the information supplied to the district inspector; were these charges investigated and, if so, when and by whom; how many witnesses, police and civilians, were examined at the investigation and what was the result; and will he say by whom was a discharged prisoner, after detention in this station for drunkenness, supplied with a serviceable suit of police uniform and how was this uniform accounted for in the clothing register kept at this station?
§ Mr. DUKEOn 12th March last District Inspector Silcock, after personal investigation at Slate Quarry Barracks, preferred a charge of being drunk in barracks on 2nd March against Sergeant Patrick Flynn, who denied it. The district inspector preferred charges against Constable Florence Sullivan on 22nd March of using insubordinate language to Sergeant Flynn and improperly following him to his office and threatening to assault him if he were reported for an offence. Additional charges of (l) disobeying the orders of Sergeant Flynn, and (2) using insubordinate language to him were preferred against the constable by the district inspector on 26th March. As the charges were denied, the Inspector-General directed that they should be investigated by a court of inquiry, of which District Inspector H. M. Lowndes was president, and District Inspector J. M. P. O'Shee, member. The inquiry was held on 18th April. Three police and seven civilian witnesses were examined in Sergeant Flynn's case, and three police and one civilian were examined in Constable Sullivan's case. The Court found the sergeant not guilty of the charge preferred against him, and found Constable Sullivan guilty of using insubordinate language to Sergeant Flynn on 2nd March, and not guilty of the remaining three charges. The Inspector-General confirmed the findings, and awarded Constable Sullivan an unfavourable record and directed that he was to be transferred to another station at his own expense. On 29th February last a police pensioner who had fallen into a river when drunk was rescued by Sergeant Flynn and detained in Slate Quarry Barracks for the night, and as his clothes were wet he was supplied with a police frock and an old pair of uniform trousers. He was discharged next morning, and as he returned all the clothing he received from the police, no entry in the clothing register was necessary.