Bar owner 'beaten by UK soldiers'
Soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers watching each others backOver on that divided island called Cyprus (I wonder why), nine of our soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers have been charged with a range of offences from grievous bodily harm to breach of the peace.
It seems that the soldiers, fresh back from holiday tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, where their comrades are dieing quicker than sand flies, did what servicemen have done for donkeys years. When told a certain bar was off limits they went there to let off steam. And what a bar, with a reputation for sex and violence. In my day you would have found me there.
As is usual the BBC loves to report anything that puts Our Country and Our Troops in a bad light and fails to report all the facts.
But over on the Independent we learn a little bit more about the case. But first, years ago in my time, the Bar Owner would have called the Military Police who would have turned up mob handed, wacked the boys over the head and carted them away for some serious time in Detention Quarters. Not todays modern Bar Owner.
He has put in a claim for £4 million pounds for damages to his bar and personal injuries and appears to be embellishing his story to aid his case and was questioned about changes to his original statement.
But what worries me about this case is that instead of leaving things to the Military to sort out- and they would have. The men instead, are being tried in a Cypriot Court where the proceedings are entirely in Greek and a single judge will decide guilt or innocence. Europe likes this arrangement. No juries to bring in a verdict the state does not wish.
Now I do not know how much combat these troops had seen on their tours or how many of their comrades they had seen killed or injured but I do know that these men must not be allowed to be hung out to dry by a rigged Greek Cypriot Court. We watch with interest.
It seems that the soldiers, fresh back from holiday tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, where their comrades are dieing quicker than sand flies, did what servicemen have done for donkeys years. When told a certain bar was off limits they went there to let off steam. And what a bar, with a reputation for sex and violence. In my day you would have found me there.
As is usual the BBC loves to report anything that puts Our Country and Our Troops in a bad light and fails to report all the facts.
But over on the Independent we learn a little bit more about the case. But first, years ago in my time, the Bar Owner would have called the Military Police who would have turned up mob handed, wacked the boys over the head and carted them away for some serious time in Detention Quarters. Not todays modern Bar Owner.
He has put in a claim for £4 million pounds for damages to his bar and personal injuries and appears to be embellishing his story to aid his case and was questioned about changes to his original statement.
He also pointed out Fusilier William Sewell, 21, from Manchester, charged with grievous bodily harm, claiming the soldier used a metal crutch to beat up one of his employees.I wonder why the Fusilier was on crutches? The brawl started after two soldiers had been attacked with baseball bats by Cypriots, one of of whom may also face charges pending a court decision. Sounds like six of one and half a dozen of the other to me.
But what worries me about this case is that instead of leaving things to the Military to sort out- and they would have. The men instead, are being tried in a Cypriot Court where the proceedings are entirely in Greek and a single judge will decide guilt or innocence. Europe likes this arrangement. No juries to bring in a verdict the state does not wish.
Now I do not know how much combat these troops had seen on their tours or how many of their comrades they had seen killed or injured but I do know that these men must not be allowed to be hung out to dry by a rigged Greek Cypriot Court. We watch with interest.
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