EPIDEMIC OF RAPES IN FORCES
250 sex crime allegations in 3 years
MORE than 250 female troops say they have been raped or sexually assaulted in the last three years.
More than 130 – mainly soldiers – allegedly fell victim last year alone.
Of those, 77 were physical attacks, including 29 rapes, according to MoD figures on Military Police probes.
The rest of the sex crimes included exposure and voyeurism.
The MoD said in a Freedom of Information request that at least 10 members of the Armed Forces are on the sex offenders register.
Almost 20 per cent of all court martials are now linked to sexual assault, rape or child pornography.
The alarming figures come just two years after a hard-hitting campaign to combat sex crimes in the Forces after figures for 2015 showed there were 60 physical atacks, including 20 rapes.
A senior officer said: “Sex crime is a major problem. Women are most at risk but around 20 males were also victims of rape and sexual assault.”
The vast majority of sex offences occur in the 80,000-strong Army, roughly twice the size of both the RAF and Navy.
A judge criticised a culture of sexualised behaviour and heavy drinking within a Royal Military Police unit investigating sex crimes. And even the cadet force has been tainted. Last year it emerged that almost 100 instructors have been dismissed in the past five years after allegations of sex abuse.
In 2016 Army recruitment sergeant Edwin Mee, 46, was jailed for 11 years for two rapes and 14 sexual assaults on mainly overseas female recruits. The Scots-born divorced father of five was based in Croydon, South London.
In July this year a member of the Coldstream Guards was jailed for 19 years after raping a woman in Windsor.
RISK
CCTV showed Connor Brayley, 24 dragging his victim through the Berkshire town last December. A judge at Reading Crown Court said remorseless Brayley posed a “high risk”.
It is understood Military Police are probing whether he assaulted female troops during his time in the Army.
An MoD spokesperson said: “Sexual offences are abhorrent and have no place in our Armed Forces. All allegations are thoroughly investigated. Safety and wellbeing of personnel is of the utmost importance. Initiatives in place include awareness campaigns and training courses.” scoops@sunday
mirror.co.uk