Army
British Army Accused Of Betraying 'Its Finest People’
A British serviceman facing prosecution over the death of an Iraqi teenager says the Army has abandoned its troops to be hounded for abuse claims.
The soldier, who spoke to the BBC anonymously, said the army has “betrayed its finest people” and “failed in its most basic duty of care” by not supporting them as they are pursued through the courts.
He is one of three former and current Army servicemen who have been told they could face court over the death of a 19-year-old near Basra 13 years ago.
They had earlier been cleared of wrongdoing.
The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) is examining serious allegations of abuse in Iraq.
Concerns have been raised over the “industrial scale” of claims lodged with IHAT that are supported by legal aid.
The Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted she will not allow an “industry of vexatious allegations” against British troops and said steps had been taken to tackle abuse of the system.
However, the serviceman told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme:
"The reality of 21st Century warfare is now that anyone in the world, even our enemies, can make any allegation against British forces no matter how absurd, and the British Government and Army will stand and watch in utter indifference as it destroys their lives and careers.”
He argued that the Army’s leaders were protecting themselves at the expense of junior ranks:
"The Army has surrendered its own powers of discipline and investigation to a private company and betrayed its finest people to protect itself from scrutiny at the highest levels."
"Regardless of the allegation, everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and the Army has failed in its most basic duty of care."
"There are veterans who have been persecuted for years by IHAT, but haven't heard a single word of support from the Army, yet alone legal or psychological support."
The MP Johnny Mercer, who is heading an investigation into IHAT called the legal pursuit of troops a “national disgrace” and called for it to be axed.
He said the country was doing its servicemen and women a “huge disservice”.
But the British Army’s chief legal adviser, Lieutenant-Colonel Nicholas Mercer, said many of the claims brought against the Ministry of Defence had been proven, saying:
"I hear the words vexatious and spurious bandied around, but to date there have been 326 settled cases, and the Government has paid up £20 million.”
"Now if the Government paid out they are not vexatious and they are not spurious, they are proven and the MoD have admitted liability."
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
