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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Abuse video soldier speaks out | Abuse video soldier speaks out |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A former British solider who filmed Iraqi prisoners being beaten up, apparently by fellow soldiers, has admitted he became a "monster of war". | A former British solider who filmed Iraqi prisoners being beaten up, apparently by fellow soldiers, has admitted he became a "monster of war". |
| Martin Webster, from Cornwall, shot the footage at an army base in 2004. It emerged publicly in 2006. | |
| Mr Webster, who was heard laughing and jeering on the video, was arrested and questioned over the incident and later resigned from the army. | Mr Webster, who was heard laughing and jeering on the video, was arrested and questioned over the incident and later resigned from the army. |
| He said when he made the film his state of mind "wasn't right". | He said when he made the film his state of mind "wasn't right". |
| You're taken to a place where the devil inside of you comes out and it's the only way to survive Martin Webster | You're taken to a place where the devil inside of you comes out and it's the only way to survive Martin Webster |
| Speaking to BBC News, the former corporal said: "The footage itself I find very difficult to listen to. | Speaking to BBC News, the former corporal said: "The footage itself I find very difficult to listen to. |
| "It brings a lot of bad memories, probably because it's the ultimate humiliation of yourself." | |
| Mr Webster, who can be heard on the video as he provides a commentary of the assault, added: "You're in a state of mind after no sleep, exposed to extreme violence, lack of water and very heavy equipment and you lose your head. | |
| "You're taken to a place where the devil inside of you comes out and it's the only way to survive," he said. | "You're taken to a place where the devil inside of you comes out and it's the only way to survive," he said. |
| 'Lost control' | 'Lost control' |
| He said that at the time of the incident he had been removed from the ground and sent to stand on a rooftop by his commander after "losing control" dealing with rioters a short while earlier. | He said that at the time of the incident he had been removed from the ground and sent to stand on a rooftop by his commander after "losing control" dealing with rioters a short while earlier. |
| "The previous day I'd seen one of my friends have his toes blown off by one of the grenades that was chucked over the wall. | "The previous day I'd seen one of my friends have his toes blown off by one of the grenades that was chucked over the wall. |
| "I wasn't in any way sympathetic to these people and I just exploded. | |
| "At the time my state of mind wasn't right. | "At the time my state of mind wasn't right. |
| "I went over [to Iraq] because I believed that what we were doing was right and that anything I did that was in the name of the government was right." | "I went over [to Iraq] because I believed that what we were doing was right and that anything I did that was in the name of the government was right." |
| He said when he returned to the UK he realised the "error" of his ways and destroyed the video. | He said when he returned to the UK he realised the "error" of his ways and destroyed the video. |
| Investigation | Investigation |
| "I realised that you're in this world for a very short amount of time and you can't go round doing that type of thing - I became a monster of war," he said. | "I realised that you're in this world for a very short amount of time and you can't go round doing that type of thing - I became a monster of war," he said. |
| But stills from the video were published in a newspaper in 2006, prompting the Iraqi authorities to call for an immediate investigation. | But stills from the video were published in a newspaper in 2006, prompting the Iraqi authorities to call for an immediate investigation. |
| Mr Webster was arrested by British military police and questioned in connection with the video. | Mr Webster was arrested by British military police and questioned in connection with the video. |
| He later resigned from the army and is now a member of Voices of War, a group of former soldiers which questions Britain's involvement in Iraq. | He later resigned from the army and is now a member of Voices of War, a group of former soldiers which questions Britain's involvement in Iraq. |
| He has made a DVD in an attempt to explain why he made the video and also paints and writes poetry. | He has made a DVD in an attempt to explain why he made the video and also paints and writes poetry. |
| A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "The army has concluded its investigation into this case. | A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "The army has concluded its investigation into this case. |
| "We do not comment on individual cases." | "We do not comment on individual cases." |