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UK soldier admits Iraq abuse
A British soldier, one of three accused of abusing Iraqi civilians in their custody, has pleaded guilty to one charge of assault at the start of a court martial. The soldiers from the Royal Fusiliers regiment were charged on Tuesday in the UK with mistreating civilians at a food depot, known as the Bread Basket, outside the southern Iraqi city of Basra on or around 15 May 2003. The troops had been sent to stop looters who were stealing food aid from a warehouse.The bulk of the evidence in the case is a package of around 22 photographs taken by servicemen at the food depot. One photograph shows two Iraqi men being forced to simulate sex acts while another depicts a man tied to a forklift truck. Lance Corporal Darren Larkin pleaded guilty to battery for assaulting an unknown male but denied a separate charge of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind. "He is ashamed of his unacceptable act," his lawyer William England told the seven-member military panel sitting at Roberts Barracks. "He realises he has brought shame on his family and his regiment." Posted by: Fred 2005-01-19 |
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