A grieving soldier faces a "war crimes" trial for punching a Taliban prisoner suspected of killing his closest comrade.
Lance Corporal Lawrence Soni had a "flash of anger" after the fanatic - caught laying a mine - laughed in his face.
Days earlier he had been given the heartbreaking news that Cpl Joseph "Etch" Etchells, had been blown up and killed.
Fellow troops restrained Soni after he landed a hot-headed thump on the insurgent, knocking him out.
The 22-year-old, on his second tour of Afghanistan, was put under investigation and detectives from the Army's Special Investigation Branch are investigating him for a possible "war crime" charge of assaulting a prisoner.
The soldier's shocked father Jaspal, 50, said last night: "All Lawrence ever wanted was to fight for his country.
"He and Joseph were incredibly close. Lawrence lashed out but in his mind this was the man that had killed his friend. The Army have used him as a scapegoat."
If convicted he could spend up to a year in prison and would be thrown out of the Army in disgrace. Last night Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said: "This doesn't sound like a war crime. Considering the huge pressures that troops face in Helmand - getting blown up at any time and seeing their friends blown up - we should be in awe of their restraint."
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1 comments:
I'm glad these guys do what they do but with this type of crap going on, I'm surprised people still join the military. Since when is punching someone a 'war crime'? absolutely ridiculous!!
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