British Soldier 'threatened Naked Iraqi Prisoners With Metal Pole'

Iraqi prisoners were ordered to undress by a British soldier brandishing a pole, the court martial into alleged abuse at a humanitarian aid camp, dubbed "Britain's Abu Ghraib", heard today.

Corporal Jonathan Petrice, who claims he witnessed the incident at Camp Bread Basket in Basra, said the act was of such an "untasteful nature" that he walked away, telling another soldier that "war crimes" were being committed.

He claimed to have seen a soldier, standing over two Iraqis, holding a camouflage pole raised above his shoulders in "an aggressive manner". Initially, Cpl Petrice told the court that the man he saw was Lance Corporal Darren Larkin, of the First Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

But later, under cross-examination, he admitted that press coverage of the abuse scandal had confused him and he was now no longer sure whether the man he saw was in fact Larkin.

The evidence against three British soldiers accused of abusing and assaulting prisoners at the camp in May 2003 was heard at a court martial in Osnabruck, Germany. Larkin, 30, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, has admitted one charge of assaulting an unknown male but denies forcing two Iraqi males to undress in front of others.

Corporal Daniel Kenyon, 33, and Lance Corporal Mark Cooley, 25, both from Newcastle upon Tyne, deny all charges.

Cpl Petrice, who was a member of the defendants' platoon, originally claimed he witnessed Larkin standing a couple of yards away from a naked Iraqi and a second man, who was undressing. He said: "The exact words he said I don't quite recollect - it was of an aggressive nature, with the cam pole. It seemed to be towards the two civilians closest to him."

When asked what he heard Larkin say, Cpl Petrice replied: "It was something regarding getting undressed." Cpl Petrice said he was only outside for a matter of seconds before he left the scene.

He said: "I realised it was of an untasteful nature, what was happening outside. Not wanting any part in what was happening, I went back to my bed."

But when cross-examined by Larkin's counsel, Cpl Petrice dramatically changed his evidence. Unprompted, he told the court martial he was no longer sure that the man he had seen was Larkin. He said the man he witnessed was dressed in combat trousers but he now knew that Larkin had been wearing boxer shorts after seeing a picture of him in the press.

Cpl Petrice said: "It has just really conflicted me as to whether it was him or not."

Evidence of the alleged abuse came to light after Fusilier Gary Bartlam submitted a film to be developed in his hometown of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Developers called police on seeing that the photographs depicted alleged abuse. Bartlam was later arrested and convicted for taking the pictures.

Among the shots are images of naked Iraqis simulating anal and oral sex, an Iraqi prisoner suspended from the prongs of a forklift truck, and a photograph of Larkin, dressed in his underwear, standing on top of an Iraqi.

The court has already been told that the soldiers' commanding officer, Major Daniel Taylor, devised a plan, codenamed Operation Ali Baba, aimed at rounding up thieves who had become a major problem at the camp.

Soldiers were sent out in groups of four armed with one SA80 assault rifle and camouflage poles to capture Iraqis and bring them back to the camp with the intention of "working them hard" to deter looting. The court has heard that such an order was illegal and in contravention of the Geneva Convention.