Army Instructors On Trial For Alleged Abuse

Ten Army instructors have gone on trial facing charges related to the alleged abuse of teenage recruits.

The non-commissioned officers face a total of 29 charges, 23 of ill-treatment and six of battery, relating to events alleged to have taken place over a five-day exercise.

The defendants' ranks range from Corporal to Warrant Officer.

It is alleged the defendants ill-treated 12 recruits while instructors at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

The particulars of the ill-treatment charges allege the victims were grabbed by the throat, had their faces submerged in water or were ordered to eat animal manure.

The ten defendants all plead not guilty to all the charges they face.