‘Serious questions’ over payout of £560K to army admin worker over remarks about her religion in contrast to treatment of bereaved and wounded

Kenny Donaldson of Troubles umbrella group Innocent Victims United (IVU) was speaking as it emerged this week that an employment tribunal is expected to award as much as £560,000 to Bronagh Murray, a mother-of-two from Co Down.

Mr Donaldson said while the comments she faced were “inexcusable”, her anticipated payout stands in stark contrast with the situation faced by many military widows.

Ms Murray had worked for the MoD as a civil servant for 19 years, and her religious discrimination case centred upon a series of alleged comments by a captain at Thiepval Barracks during five months in 2017.

In one incident he allegedly stated: “I need back up, I have an Irish Catholic girl armed and dangerous, come quick, need help”.

In another, while discussing a concert event, he was said to have remarked: “I bet you have tried to steal a cone, that is the Catholic coming out in you.”

Ms Murray also claimed sexual discrimination over being described as “the big cougar”.

Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the slang term “cougar” as meaning “ a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man”.

The captain was disciplined and moved elsewhere as a result.

Ms Murray retired in 2019, citing ill health linked to the captain’s behaviour.

In a statement, Ms Murray described herself as “a strong, resilient woman” who “was offered no support and just left to get on with it”.

The MoD has admitted liability, and her solicitor Brian Archer said: “It is anticipated that the final monies to be paid to Ms Murray by the MoD will be in the region of £560,000.”

‘SOME GOT £500 FOR LOSING A PARENT’:

IVU spokesman Mr Donaldson told the News Letter: “The alleged harassment which Ms Murray was awarded compensation for by the MoD was absolutely inexcusable.

“There were undercurrents of sectarian and misogynistic behaviour by the officer concerned.

“We can fully understand and sympathise with Ms Murray’s sense of feeling let down by the very system she had given almost two decades of service to. We wish her well in her recovery as she seeks to rebuild her life.

“This case has however raised serious questions around the level of the settlement granted.

“We have been contacted by many, many families and individuals who feel that the losses they sustained were and continue to be cheapened in comparison.

“There are many instances where the families of soldiers murdered over the course of ‘The Troubles’ were given compensation in the region of £500 for a child who had a parent murdered, with a widow or widower receiving £5,000 and less in some situations.

“There are also 270 war widows who had their pensions taken from them by the MoD upon remarrying after their husband was murdered or killed whilst serving.

“For many innocent victims/survivors of terrorism they feel that the injustices they have endured (and continue to endure) have never been adequately acknowledged, nor acceptable reparations or compensation provided.”

Asked about the enormous sums involved in the Murray case, NI veterans’ commissioner Danny Kinahan said: “It is regrettable that this incident ever happened and that a serving officer didn’t uphold the values and standards that are expected of everyone serving in HM Forces today.

“I will always stand by that most service personnel and veterans have always upheld the values of the armed forces including courage, discipline, respect for others, integrity, loyalty and selfless commitment - and have done so professionally and without incident.”

The MoD said that the tribunal is not formally a closed case yet, so it cannot comment.

The tribunal service said that a written copy of the tribunal’s reasoning will be published at some point, but could not say when.

More from this reporter:

Click here – The last Last Post: Remembering the final soldier killed by the PIRA a quarter-century on... 23-year-old Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick

Click here – Remembering barracks bloodbath that was among the last violent spasms of the Official IRA – exactly half-a-century later

Click here – Belfast university culture spat: ‘No-one is convinced by efforts to portray the Irish language as cross-community’

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