BARBARITY THAT SHAMES THE RAF
Sickening video of naked young airman in initiation ordeal triggers police inquiry
DrUNKEN troops appeared to sexually assault a young airman in a vile initiation rite caught on video.
reminiscent of abuse suffered by Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison, footage of the shocking incident was obtained by the Daily Mail.
It shows a naked airman being held down by rowdy, inebriated troops before they allegedly assault him. A criminal investigation is now under way. rAF police investigators will decide whether the airman was forced to go through the grotesque ordeal.
The Air Force insisted it did not tolerate bullying or initiation rituals. But military experts fear the video will cause huge damage to the reputation of the rAF and the Armed Forces generally.
Defence chiefs are said to be furious because they have worked to stamp out bullying and ensure that initiation ceremonies, once a staple of military life, were no longer tolerated. The incident took place recently in the uK at the end of a course in which rAF regiment personnel were taught to fire mortars.
The regiment, whose headquarters are
at RAF Honington in Suffolk, is responsible for protecting military airfields.
The disturbing video shows the troops spitting mouthfuls of lager at the airman’s backside.
His legs are then forced apart as the 4ft barrel of a mortar, which weighs 28lb, is lowered behind him.
The weapon’s ball-shaped socket is then used on the airman as his raucous colleagues slap his buttocks.
Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the act of ‘assault by penetration’ carries a custodial sentence of up to 19 years for the worst offences. A key issue in such cases is consent.
Tobias Ellwood, Tory chairman of the Commons defence committee, said last night: ‘Thankfully this deplorable incident does not reflect the high standards of behaviour now exhibited across all three services and huge progress made in removing the culture of initiation practices that have no place in our modern military.
‘But this incident, however isolated, will temporarily damage the fine reputation of the RAF.’
He added: ‘The Ministry of Defence will need to act swiftly and purposely to repair this damage – not just because past generations of our flying heroes would demand it – but because recruiting the next generation of pilots and personnel will be all the more challenging.’
A RAF spokesman said: ‘We have been made aware of an offensive video involving Royal Air Force personnel.
‘The RAF Police Special Investigation Branch is now investigating the incident shown in the video. It would be inappropriate to comment further while investipersonnel gations are ongoing.’ In July last year Defence Secretary Ben Wallace launched an anti-bullying 24/7 telephone helpline for service personnel across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force to allow troops to report any abuse or harassment.
It is staffed by qualified counsellors who provide emotional support, information and guidance to callers.
Mr Wallace said at the time: ‘Our personnel selflessly serve our nation day in and day out and they deserve to be treated equally, with dignity and respect, both on and off duty.
‘I want everyone to feel proud of this team. There is simply no place for bullying in our Armed Forces and I am determined to stamp this out. Our helpline is an important next step.’
But the 75-second video would appear to suggest that drunken initiation ceremonies for junior continue, even though they are rarer than before.
In 2019, Royal Marines taking part in a multi-national exercise to prepare for any future conflict with Russia scrawled a Nazi swastika on the chest of a comrade in another such ceremony. Again, the incident was filmed on a mobile phone and the footage was soon shared on social media.
Such was the level of embarrassment felt by commanders that top brass even considered banning Marines units from taking part in similar exercises.
In 2016 an Army private launched a legal action against the Ministry of Defence after he was forced to quit the ranks due to injuries sustained in a violent initiation ceremony.
Oliver Scudder claimed he was pressured to run down a corridor lined by fellow soldiers who struck him with punches and kicks.
He was left with 90 per cent loss of vision in his right eye and was medically discharged from the Army after tripping and taking a boot to the face.
He said that he felt he had been coerced into taking part in the corridor run and was hit and kicked from both sides by lance corporals and corporals.
He had joined his unit, the Royal Anglian Regiment, only nine days previously.
During the UK’s long military campaign in Afghanistan the RAF Regiment protected Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmand province.
This role required the regiment’s troops to be proficient in military skills more commonly taught to
‘Has no place in our military’
Army soldiers, including how to load and accurately fire mortars.
It is thought the airmen in the video were learning to use the 81mm variant of the mortar weapon system. It is not known at which base the video was filmed.
RAF Regiment mortar teams are trained to drop high-explosive bombs on enemy targets.
They use different types of ammunition, including infrared illumination and white phosphorus to create dense smoke screens to cover the movement of ground troops.