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UK soldiers cleared of Iraq abuse | UK soldiers cleared of Iraq abuse |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Charges have been dropped against five out of seven soldiers on trial for abusing Iraqi civilians. | Charges have been dropped against five out of seven soldiers on trial for abusing Iraqi civilians. |
Col Jorge Mendonca was cleared of all charges, along with three of his men. | |
A fifth soldier who had admitted mistreating Iraqi detainees in Basra was cleared of further charges. | A fifth soldier who had admitted mistreating Iraqi detainees in Basra was cleared of further charges. |
The court martial at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire is dealing with claims soldiers abused detainees in September 2003, resulting in an Iraqi's death. | |
Col Mendonca, 43, former commander of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and the highest-ranking British serviceman in recent history to face court martial, had faced charges of negligently performing a duty. | |
'Stress position' | |
Col Mendonca, who won a DSO (distinguished service order) in the Gulf, said he remained convinced his soldiers did "enormous good" in Basra in 2003. | |
"Every one of my soldiers and officers worked extremely hard under indescribably difficult conditions to make Basra a better place, and I just hope that fact is not forgotten in the aftermath of this trial," he said. | |
CHARGES IN FULL Col Jorge Mendonca - cleared of negligently performing a dutySgt Kelvin Stacey - cleared of common assault L/Cpl Wayne Crowcroft - cleared of inhumane treatment Pte Darren Fallon - cleared of inhumane treatment Cpl Donald Payne - admitted inhumane treatment, cleared of manslaughter and perverting the course of justiceWarrant Officer Mark Davies - charged with negligently performing a dutyMaj Michael Peebles - charged with negligently performing a duty Timeline of case to date Colonel Mendonca profile | CHARGES IN FULL Col Jorge Mendonca - cleared of negligently performing a dutySgt Kelvin Stacey - cleared of common assault L/Cpl Wayne Crowcroft - cleared of inhumane treatment Pte Darren Fallon - cleared of inhumane treatment Cpl Donald Payne - admitted inhumane treatment, cleared of manslaughter and perverting the course of justiceWarrant Officer Mark Davies - charged with negligently performing a dutyMaj Michael Peebles - charged with negligently performing a duty Timeline of case to date Colonel Mendonca profile |
The trial has been dealing with claims that some of the colonel's men abused a group of Iraqis arrested at a Basra hotel where the army had found weapons and suspected bomb-making equipment. | |
The prosecution said that while undergoing so-called conditioning for interrogation, the group were forced to stand in the stress position - with arms outstretched and knees bent - and were beaten if they failed. | |
Baha Mousa, 26, was among the group of detainees and later died. It was found he had 93 separate injuries to his body. | |
But Mr Justice Stuart McKinnon ordered Col Mendonca and the others to be cleared because of a lack of evidence. | |
'Enormous expense' | 'Enormous expense' |
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said the trial had been of "enormous expense to the taxpayer" and questioned whether the charges should have been brought in the first place. | Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said the trial had been of "enormous expense to the taxpayer" and questioned whether the charges should have been brought in the first place. |
Conservative MP Ben Wallace, trained by Colonel Mendonca when he was an instructor at Sandhurst, said the trial was a "political-driven initiative" to "satisfy public doubts in the Iraq conflict". | |
But a spokesman for the Attorney General's office said there was "no question" of the prosecution having been influenced by political pressure. | |
BBC correspondent Paul Wood said: "The use of the stress position was allowed back in 2003. | |
"The question for the coalition then, and for this court today - what is a legal and proper method of interrogating prisoners." | |
Trial continues | |
Sergeant Kelvin Stacey, 30, of the QLR, was cleared of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault. | Sergeant Kelvin Stacey, 30, of the QLR, was cleared of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault. |
L/Cpl Wayne Crowcroft, 22, and Private Darren Fallon, 23, both of the QLR, now merged with the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, were both cleared of treating Iraqis inhumanely. | |
Hotel receptionist Baha Mousa died in custody in 2003 | Hotel receptionist Baha Mousa died in custody in 2003 |
Cpl Donald Payne, 35, of the QLR, has already pleaded guilty to inhumanely treating civilian Iraqi detainees, and faces sentencing. | |
But he was cleared of manslaughter and of perverting the course of justice. | |
Maj Michael Peebles, 35, and Warrant Officer Mark Davies, 37, both of the Intelligence Corps, remain on trial. | Maj Michael Peebles, 35, and Warrant Officer Mark Davies, 37, both of the Intelligence Corps, remain on trial. |
They both deny charges of negligently performing their duty. | |
The trial was adjourned until Monday. | The trial was adjourned until Monday. |