US marine jailed over Iraqi killing
US troops have previously been accused of ill-treating Iraqis
Also In The News
|
England were denied a victory on Dutch soil after Rafael van der Vaart's late strike cancelled out Wayne Rooney's first half effort for the visitors. |  |
Thursday, 16, Nov 2006 06:59
A US marine has been sentenced to 18-months in jail after pleading guilty to reduced charges regarding the killing of an Iraqi civilian.
Under a plea bargain, prosecutors had dropped charges of murder and kidnapping against Private John Jodka over the death of an unarmed 52-year-old man, in return for a pledge by the serviceman to testify against fellow marines in the case.
Pte Jodka, 20, is one of eight US servicemen accused of kidnapping Hashim Ibrahim Awad in the Iraqi town of Hamdania seven months ago, with the troops accused of taking the civilian to a roadside hole, where they allegedly shot him and then tried to cover up the crime.
It is claimed that prior to the attack, the men had been intending to kidnap a suspected insurgent, but had targeted Awad instead after their search for the militant proved unfruitful.
Sentencing Jodka, who pleaded guilty to charges of assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice in relation to the case, a military judge told the marine that he had a "very fortuitous" pre-trial agreement.
Lieutenant Colonel David Jones told Jodka that he had wanted to impose a five-year sentence on him, but was bound by the terms of the plea deal.
If Jodka, the youngest and lowest-ranking member of the group implicated in Awad's murder, testifies against his fellow servicemen, he will also receive a general discharge from the marines.
Explaining his decision to agree to the pre-trial deal, Jodka said: "I decided to plead guilty because in the end it was the right thing to do.
"I had to weigh in myself the need for truth as opposed to the loyalty to the squad I had bonded with in Iraq," the marine added, in comments quoted by the Associated Press news agency.
Jodka, who had earlier apologised to Awad's family, had claimed in court that he had received little training, including in how to counter insurgency, and subsequently felt unprepared for the duties he had been assigned to carry out in Iraq.
The private was the first serviceman involved in the case to strike a plea deal with prosecutors. Two other marines and a Navy corpsman implicated in Awad's killing have subsequently made similar agreements.