British soldier jailed for refusing to fight in Afghanistan
British soldier jailed for refusing to fight in Afghanistan
Also In The News
|
At least 63 people have been killed in a stampede at a temple in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, local police have said. |  |
Friday, 05, Mar 2010 03:39
By Alex Steger.
A British soldier has been jailed by court martial for refusing to fight in Afghanistan.
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton was found guilty of going absent without leave (AWOL) at a military court in Colchester, Essex, today.
He was sentenced to nine months in jail and reduced to the ranks.
The military court heard how Glenton, 27, went AWOL on June 11th 2007 instead of returning to Dalton Barracks in Oxfordshire. He was absent for 737 days, according to the prosecution, until handing he handed himself in.
Glenton, who was the first serving member of the armed forces to lead an anti-war demonstration since the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, had already served a seven month tour of Afghanistan in 2006.
After returning from the conflict zone, where he had served with the Royal Logistics Corps, he was ordered to go back after nine months. Army guidelines recommend a soldier should not be deployed again within 18 months.
Nick Wrack who spoke in mitigation of Glenton told the hearing that the soldier had suffered post traumatic stress disorder after his first tour and had endured bullying after he raised his concerns about a return to the war zone.
Mr Wrack said: "When he first raised with his staff sergeant his reluctance to be deployed again, instead of being dealt with in a sensible way it resulted in the sergeant at the time bullying and intimidating Lance Corporal Glenton.
"He was called a coward and a malingerer. When this information was brought to his commanding officer, the sergeant was spoken to, but this reinforced the bullying."