Court martial to hear bullying allegations (From The Northern Echo)

Court martial to hear bullying allegations

10:22pm Tuesday 24th March 2009

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FOUR army training instructors are due to go before a court martial tomorrow accused of bullying and violently assaulting young recruits at an infantry training centre.

The men, now serving in Northern Ireland, face being dismissed from the army if found guilty.

Between them the four deny a total of 19 charges.

The case is due to be opened at a court in RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland following several hours of pre-trial submissions and applications today.

The army launched an investigation into allegations of bullying and abuse at the UK's largest military base at Catterick, North Yorkshire following an undercover investigation by a BBC reporter.

The accused are Colour Sergeant Michael Hetherington of the 1st Battalion, The Rifles and Corporals Henry Sanday, Stuart Pagett and Paul Jakeman, all of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles.

The allegations against the four relate to complaints made by seven recruits who underwent basic training at the Catterick base between October 2007 and February last year.

The young soldiers claimed they were punched, kicked and beaten by training staff.

One instructor is alleged to have hit a recruit over the head with a chair.

Another is accused of kneeing a trainee in the groin and throwing him to the floor.

The military investigation was launched last year after BBC report Russell Sharp spent six months as a recruit at Catterick for Undercover Soldier, which was screened last September.

During the pre-trial applications, Assistant Judge Advocate General Paul Camp agreed to a request for one witness to be screened while giving evidence.

He said the witnesss address could also be withheld but he would have to be identified.

The assistant judge advocate general said: "We don't have unidentified witnesses. They may do that in some foreign jurisdictions, but not here."

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