THE Army has been criticised for deciding not to name a soldier jailed for making two hoax 999 calls while standing in for striking firefighters.

The 19-year-old gunner has been sentenced to 21 days in a military prison for making the calls while stationed at a temporary fire station in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

Colleagues rushed to a non-existent blaze in Newton Aycliffe only an hour before the strike ended on Monday morning last week.

Police traced the calls to the soldier's mobile phone, but then gave the Army jurisdiction over the case.

The soldier, a member of the 40th Regiment of the Royal Artillery, faced an internal disciplinary hearing in front of his commanding officer at his base, the Alanbrooke Barracks at Topcliffe, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, yesterday.

He was sent to Colchester military prison, but an Army spokesman said he would not be named, adding: "It's not fair to drag his family into it."

Lord Brian McKenzie of Framwellgate, ex-president of the Police Superintendents' Association, said he believed the soldier should have been "named and shamed".

He said: "I think it's important that justice is open and public.

"The fact he's a serving soldier shouldn't affect that general policy and I'm disappointed they felt it necessary to keep it under wraps."

The Army spokesman added: "This young soldier had an exemplary military record until this aberration.

"During his interview, he made a full apology to his commanding officer and to his colleagues. He recognises that he made a very serious mistake."