Royal Navy ‘should introduce random breath tests’

The widow of Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux, has welcomed a coroner’s recommendation of random breath testing for Royal Navy personnel, following the shooting dead of her husband by a drunk naval rating on a nuclearpowered submarine, as reported by the Press Association (PA). Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman told the inquest into Lt Cdr Molyneux’s death that he would write to the Navy about implementing random breath testing. Lt Cdr Molyneux, from Wigan, was murdered by Able Seaman Ryan Donovan, who was over the drink-drive limit and on guard duty on HMS Astute in April 2011. The hearing previously heard that Donovan had drunk 20 pints of cider and lager, cocktails and double vodkas in the 48 hours before he was put on a guard duty with the SA80 rifle.

The PA reports that Gillian Molyneux, speaking outside the court, said her husband had given his life to protect the boat and its crew and stop Donovan’s rampage and his death had left a “huge void”. She was “heartened” the coroner would send her proposals to the Navy and she called for the service’s own recommendations to be acted upon. “I can only hope that these recommendations will be fully implemented and improvements will become evident across the service and Ian’s death will not be in vain,” she added.

Binge Drinking Culture

During the two-week hearing much evidence was heard about the “binge-drinking culture” of the crew of HMS Astute while on shore leave during the goodwill visit to Southampton. Police investigating the murder were so concerned about crew being “drunk out of their minds” while ashore that the senior officer wrote to his chief constable to highlight the issue and it was passed to military authorities. The Royal Navy has since tightened its rules on alcohol consumption before duty. At the time sailors were allowed 10 units in the previous 24 hours with no alcohol in the 10 hours before duty, which has now been changed to five units.

Mr Wiseman recorded a narrative verdict that the officer was unlawfully killed and explained he would incorporate recommendations from Lt Cdr Molyneux’s widow into what is called a Rule 43 letter to the navy. Those proposals include the random crew breath testing, the use of a breathalyser for all those going on armed sentry duty, a look at alcohol allowances while onboard ships and, in particular, on submarines, work to tackle the culture of binge drinking in the Navy and the issuing of handheld breath testing devices to all personnel.