British soldiers accused of Iraqi abuse go on trial

A British court martial prosecuting soldiers accused of abuse released photographs yesterday that apparently show British troops forcing Iraqi prisoners to simulate sex acts.

The pictures, discovered when lab technicians phoned the police after a soldier took them to be developed, could damage the reputation of Britain's military, much as photographs of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison hurt the US.

Three British soldiers pleaded not guilty yesterday to numerous counts of abuse, although one admitted assaulting a man. The court martial was held in Germany, where the troops are based.

In one picture, a male prisoner is apparently forced to kneel in front of a naked man and simulate oral sex. In another, one male prisoner kneels naked on another's lap.

In London, General Sir Mike Jackson, the army's top officer, told reporters the military could not comment directly on the case during the trial. But he took the rare step of making a televised statement moments before the images were broadcast.

"We condemn utterly all acts of abuse. Where there is evidence of abuse, this is immediately investigated," he said.

At least one picture shows a soldier appearing to stomp on a man lying prone on the ground. Another shows a soldier punching, or simulating punching, a bound man. Another shows a bound prisoner tied to the prongs of a forklift truck.

Lance corporals Darren Larkin and Mark Cooley and Corporal Daniel Kenyon, all from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, denied charges which included disgraceful conduct and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.

Larkin admitted one charge of assaulting an Iraqi man and faces a sentence of up to six months in prison.

Prosecutors say the men carried out the offences during an operation codenamed "Ali Baba" to stop looting at an aid food depot in the chaotic weeks after the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The trial is the latest in a series of hearings against US and British soldiers after photographs of abuse by US troops at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib jail emerged, sparking global outrage.