titantoo
01-21-2005, 05:05 PM
'Major to blame for abuse case' Press Association
Friday January 21, 2005 9:23 PM
A British Army officer has been told that three soldiers stood accused of abusing Iraqi civilians because of an unlawful order he issued.
Major Dan Taylor was confronted by counsel for one of the accused at a court martial in Germany.
Joseph Giret, representing Corporal Daniel Kenyon, told him: "I say to you Major Taylor that despite not wishing to accept the blame, it is precisely your order which has resulted in soldiers being charged with a very serious offence."
The exchange came as it emerged that Maj Taylor faced no disciplinary action himself, despite issuing the order in breach of the Geneva Convention.
The major was cleared of wrong-doing only five days before three of his soldiers were due to stand trial.
The court, in Osnabruck, heard an extract from a letter to Maj Taylor written by his commanding officer Brigadier Nick Carter on January 7, which dismissed his order as "misguided zeal".
In the order, the major told his men to punish the looters at an aid camp in he was in charge of near Basra by "working them hard".
The crackdown which followed led to the three soldiers being charged with abusing civilians when "shocking and appalling" photographs of the abuse were left for development by another soldier at a photo shop in Tamworth, Staffs.
But Maj Taylor was only dealt with at "summary level", which means he was spoken to by senior officers - a process military sources said was known in Army slang as "interview without coffee".
The three soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers are accused of abusing and assaulting Iraqi civilian prisoners at Camp Bread Basket, near Basra.
Lance Corporal Mark Cooley, 25, and Corporal Kenyon, 33, both from Newcastle upon Tyne, deny the charges, while Lance Corporal Darren Larkin, 30, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, has admitted one charge of assault and denies another charge.
Friday January 21, 2005 9:23 PM
A British Army officer has been told that three soldiers stood accused of abusing Iraqi civilians because of an unlawful order he issued.
Major Dan Taylor was confronted by counsel for one of the accused at a court martial in Germany.
Joseph Giret, representing Corporal Daniel Kenyon, told him: "I say to you Major Taylor that despite not wishing to accept the blame, it is precisely your order which has resulted in soldiers being charged with a very serious offence."
The exchange came as it emerged that Maj Taylor faced no disciplinary action himself, despite issuing the order in breach of the Geneva Convention.
The major was cleared of wrong-doing only five days before three of his soldiers were due to stand trial.
The court, in Osnabruck, heard an extract from a letter to Maj Taylor written by his commanding officer Brigadier Nick Carter on January 7, which dismissed his order as "misguided zeal".
In the order, the major told his men to punish the looters at an aid camp in he was in charge of near Basra by "working them hard".
The crackdown which followed led to the three soldiers being charged with abusing civilians when "shocking and appalling" photographs of the abuse were left for development by another soldier at a photo shop in Tamworth, Staffs.
But Maj Taylor was only dealt with at "summary level", which means he was spoken to by senior officers - a process military sources said was known in Army slang as "interview without coffee".
The three soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers are accused of abusing and assaulting Iraqi civilian prisoners at Camp Bread Basket, near Basra.
Lance Corporal Mark Cooley, 25, and Corporal Kenyon, 33, both from Newcastle upon Tyne, deny the charges, while Lance Corporal Darren Larkin, 30, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, has admitted one charge of assault and denies another charge.