British alleged torturer now teaching soldiers

This ITN TV video from Britain is called Iraq: Baha Mousa abuse inquiry begins.

From British daily The Morning Star:

So this is how we did things in Iraq…

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Soldier who allegedly abused prisoners is now teaching… army detention techniques

A soldier alleged to have beaten, kicked and abused detainees in Iraq is now an army instructor teaching detention techniques to new recruits, the inquiry into Baha Mousa’s death has heard.

Corporal Wayne Crowcroft, who was a private in the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment in 2003, was tasked with guarding detainees including Mr Mousa after their arrest in September that year.

Several of those detained and a number of military witnesses have described in graphic detail the brutality inflicted by Cpl Crowcroft and his colleague Private Fallon, and how they bragged about having beaten detainees.

The inquiry was told of the statement of Sergeant-Major Paul Urey, who said that Cpl Crowcroft had told him during a drunken conversation that “We all kicked him (Mr Mousa) to death.” …

But several military witnesses have said that they witnessed both soldiers punching and kicking detainees and participating, along with Corporal Donald Payne, in “the choir” – the practice of beating detainees in turn to make them make different noises.

Gerard Elias QC showed Cpl Crowcroft a video of detainees being abused by Cpl Payne.

He asked: “When you saw Cpl Payne acting in that way did you think it was proper?”

“Yes. It’s what I knew, what I’d been taught,” the witness replied.

“In no way improper?” Mr Elias asked. The witness said that at the time he had not thought it improper.

A previous witness, Private Jonathan Lee, had told the inquiry that when Cpl Crowcroft and Pvt Fallon returned to camp they had abrasions on the knuckles and lower legs and that they had boasted that they got them from beating and kicking the detainees.

Inquiry into Baha Mousa’s death reveals army’s culture of torture: here.

Britain is to forcibly send around 40 Iraqi asylum seekers back to Baghdad this week, a refugee group has said: here.