Iraqi Civilians Sue MoD Over 'Humiliating Mistreatment'

Two Iraqi civilians have sued the Ministry of Defence (MoD) over allegations that they were captured and mistreated by UK forces during the Iraq War.

The men say they were taken to a very large military ship, forced to strip and subjected to "deeply humiliating mistreatment and sexual assault".

They say they were then transferred to Camp Freddy, a detention facility on land, where they were held for 35 days before release.

Their counsel Richard Hermer QC said the men have been "clear and consistent throughout" that UK troops were responsible:

"There are inconsistencies in their recollection of material events, not least relevant to the early hours of their capture. These may reflect an attempt to dissemble or may reflect the impact of trauma and the passage of time on memory."

The two men are claiming a total of £187,388 and £56,009 damages respectively.

Both claimants say they have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and want compensation for loss of earnings, assault and loss of liberty.

The MoD puts the value of the claims at £6,500 and £2,500 subject to liability, which is denied.

It denies being liable for the assaults and injuries, and says that the cases are "stale" and brought outside the legal time limit.

Despite an extensive disclosure exercise, Derek Sweeting QC said that the MoD had been unable to find any evidence or witnesses of the capture of the two men.

The claimants say they were working on a cargo ship at the time of the assault.

They allege the vessel was boarded by troops who took them by a series of boats to the military ship.

Derek Sweeting QC said:

"The defendant contends that in all probability it was not UK troops that were involved in the capture of KSU and MRE."

He added that the two men's accounts were "replete with inaccuracies and exaggerations" and there were "compelling reasons" why the court should find that it was not UK forces which captured them.

The balance of the evidence suggested that the claimants were captured either by Australian or US forces.