- Three British soldiers carried out "shocking and
appalling" physical and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners that was photographed
by servicemen, a court martial heard today.
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- Twenty-two photographs were released by a British military
court in Germany where the court martial of the three accused Royal Regiment
of Fusiliers soldiers opened today.
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- Among the disturbing images was a picture of two naked
Iraqi men simulating anal sex with their thumbs raised up to the cameras.
There was also a close-up picture of two Iraqis simulating oral sex.
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- In other images, detainees are bound and apparently been
assaulted by British troops.
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- Speaking in London, the head of the army, General Sir
Mike Jackson, said that while he could not directly comment on the ongoing
proceedings, the army condemned "utterly all acts of abuse".
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- The images are reminiscent of the photographs of naked
Iraqi detainees being abused in US custody at Abu Ghraib prison outside
Baghdad which caused outrage around the world.
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- The British soldiers are accused of abusing detainees
who had attempted to steal food and powdered milk from a warehouse they
were guarding outside Basra, in southern Iraq in May 2003, weeks after
Saddam Hussein was toppled.
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- Lieutenant Colonel Nick Clapham, prosecuting, told the
court martial near Osnabruck, in northern Germany: "It cannot be said
that these photographs are of incidents that are anything other than shocking
and appalling."
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- Lance Corporal Darren Larkin, 30, from Oldham, Greater
Manchester, admitted one charge of assaulting an unknown male at the camp,
but pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent conduct for allegedly forcing
two Iraqi detainees to undress in front of others.
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- His two co-accused, Corporal Daniel Kenyon, 33, and Lance
Corporal Mark Cooley, 25, between them denied nine further charges of mistreating
Iraqi detainees.
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- Evidence of the alleged abuse came to light after a set
of photographs was left for processing at a shop in Tamworth, Staffordshire.
When the developer saw the photographs, she was "disturbed by the
content" and contacted civilian police, the hearing was told.
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- The photographs depicting the alleged abuse of the prisoners
were from the cameras of five British servicemen.
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- If found guilty by Judge Advocate Michael Hunter and
a panel of officers, the accused soldiers could be jailed and discharged
from the army.
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- Referring to the admission of assault, Lance Corporal
Larkin's lawyer, William England, told the court: "He is ashamed of
his unacceptable and mindless act ... and that he has brought shame to
his proud regiment, himself and his family."
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- Corporal Kenyon denied six charges, including two of
aiding and abetting a person to force two naked males being detained by
British troops to simulate a sex act. He also faces a charge of being an
accessory in the battery to which Lance Corporal Larkin pleaded guilty.
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- Lance Corporal Cooley, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, denied
three charges, including placing an unknown Iraqi captive, with his hands
bound, on the front of a forklift and driving it around, and also simulating
punching and kicking a detainee while someone else took photographs.
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- Lt Col Clapham told the hearing that the camp's commander,
Major Dan Taylor, had ordered that looters should be "worked hard"
in a crackdown codenamed Operation Ali Baba - a reference to the folk story
of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.
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- The prosecutor said the orders were an "unlawful"
breach of the Geneva convention, "but even though the order was unlawful,
had the defendants done no more they would not face the charges they face
today".
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- Speaking to reporters, Sir Michael said that the proper
way to deal with allegations of abuse was "for them to be investigated
by the service police and, as appropriate, prosecuted by the independent
service authorities".
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- He said. "I have every confidence in the military
investigative and judicial system."
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- The court martial, which is expected to last up to four
weeks, continues.
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2005
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1393116,00.html
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