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British seaman appears in court, charged with murder after shooting on nuclear submarine

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Monday, April 11, 2011

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An able seaman in the Royal Navy has appeared at a magistrates court in Southampton, England this morning, charged with murder and attempted murder. Able Seaman Ryan Samuel Donovan is accused of shooting a crewmate dead in a Royal Navy nuclear submarine last week. One other crewman, Lt. Commander Christopher Hodge, was seriously injured in the attack and remains in stable condition at a local hospital.

I am satisfied that there is sufficient [evidence] to charge him, and that it is in the public interest to do so.

—Chief prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service, Wessex

Last night, the chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in Wessex confirmed that 22-year old Donovan, who served aboard HMS Astute, had been charged with killing 36-year-old Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux and attempting to murder three others; Petty Officer Christopher Brown, Chief Petty Officer David McCoy and Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hodge. "Having reviewed the evidence, I am satisfied that there is sufficient to charge him, and that it is in the public interest to do so," he said.

Over the weekend serious questions over the Royal Navy's recruitment policy were raised as it emerged he had changed his name to Reggie Moondogg and tried to start a singing career as a rap artist. Relatives of the alleged gunman criticised the Royal Navy for not allowing Donovan to leave the Astute after a confrontation with a number of other crewmen. One, speaking on condition of anonymity, said senior officers knew of Donovan's deteriorating relationships with several other crew, but failed to take action.

The shootings occurred on Friday when the submarine was docked in Southampton and a party of local dignitaries visited the vessel. It is alleged Donovan walked into the control room of the ship with an SA80 assault rifle and fired multiple shots, killing Molyneux and injuring another serviceman. Molyneux's widow, Gillian, has this weekend described Molyneux, a father of four, as "utterly devoted to his family".


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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
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