Two British soldiers admit abusing Afghan civilians
Two British soldiers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admit abusing Afghan civilians during at a court martial hearing in Sennelager, Germany.
One soldier admitted racially abusing an Afghan man, while the other admitted indecent conduct towards a child.
Their patrol commander was also accused of failing to stop inappropriate conduct towards Afghans, but he was cleared of failing in his duty.
One soldier, known as Soldier X for legal reasons, admitted pulling an Afghan boy’s hand towards his crotch while saying: “Touch my special place.”
The soldier pleaded guilty to conduct to the prejudice of good order and service discipline, at the start of a court martial for the three British servicemen.
The offence took place while he was on tour in Afghanistan in December 2011. He was granted anonymity because of fears that naming him would endanger his life and that of his family.
Soldier X also admitted insulting another Afghan child between 16 October 2011 and 6 January 2012. But he was cleared of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind, and of forcing an Afghan girl to touch him on a separate occasion.
Racial abuse
The other soldier, known as Soldier Y, admitted that he was involved in having an Afghan man photographed with a sign which read “Silly Paki” between 16 October 2011 and 6 January 2012.
He pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated offence likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress under the crime and disorder act.
He was initially charged with conduct to the prejudice of good order and service discipline. But prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Jane England accepted his guilty plea to the separate offence.
Their patrol commander was cleared of charges that he failed to deal with the offences appropriately, after England said it would not be in the public interest or appropriate to proceed against him in the light of the soldiers’ guilty pleas.
Resident Judge Advocate Alan Large said he would begin sentencing at 2pm local time on Tuesday.