ARMY officer Col Tim Collins, formerly based at Canterbury, is reported to be suing the Northern Ireland editions of The Sunday Mirror and The Sunday Express for libel.

Col Collins, who led the Canterbury-based Royal Irish Regiment in Iraq is under investigation on two counts, for alleged war crimes during the conflict and another into how he ran the regiment at the time of the suicide of Ranger Paul Cochrane.

Royal Military Police detectives were ordered to examine the 'military environment' inside the unit, probing the Cochrane family's claims of a climate of bullying and harassment within the regiment.

Col Collins' solicitor Ernie Telford, of Belfast-based legal firm McCartan Turkington Breen, claimed articles about the investigations in the two publications were seriously defamatory and are likely to have damaged his client's reputation beyond repair.

The Ministry of Defence could not confirm or deny Col Collins had issued the writ as it is a private civil matter between him and the newspapers concerned.

A spokesman said the military investigations are continuing.