Soldier Prosecutions Poll: The Results

The results from our latest and most popular poll have been tallied.

The controversial topic of Iraq veterans facing legal prosecution has been hotly debated among our audience and the wider press this week.

Forces TV's followers have given their verdict.

The majority of respondents saw pursuing prosecution of UK veterans who served in Iraq years after the event as wrong. 

The question was: "Soldier prosecutions: Should there be a time limit?"

The exact breakdown

Almost 90% of respondents err on the side of leniency for soldiers, with one person expressing concern the matter was brought to bear by the Iraq Historical Allegations Team (IHAT) in the first place:

"To expect servicemen and women to undertake dangerous tasks and then to prosecute them for their actions is wrong, legally and morally."

The individual went further to suggest that "additional protections from such prosecutions must be introduced and safeguards adopted to ensure that our forces are afforded protection from 'after the event' claims against them."

Legal cases involving current and ex-serving personnel are still a major issue in British politics, with the case in point of Alexander Blackman.

There were some conflicting opinions also voiced in the comments section.

One stance argued "No soldier following lawful order should be prosecuted". The other asked if that same soldier was to "steal, or murder in cold blood, [is there] still no [time] limit?" 

The idea of legal cases following war crimes years or even decades after the act has a precedent during the Nazi era, as one follower remarked: 

"Let's say they find some old SS officer tomorrow, and that this officer was responsible for ethnically cleansing villages. He's now old but surely he should still be sent to court for his actions? Same goes for any law that gets broken. Do the crime, do the time."

The notion of "ambulance chasing" proved to be a sticking point for many of our audience, with one person pointing out the issue: "Touting for custom should be illegal as it encourages lies and invention."

Many topics were covered and as we can see from our largest sample size to date, It's clearly an issue that our audience and the wider public feel strongly about, and is likely to remain so even if any changes are put into place.

Meanwhile, the Chilcot Inquiry into Britain's involvement in the Iraq War began in 2009 but has yet to issue its findings.