Latest news with #courtMartial
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
British Army soldiers sacked for sharing Oct 7 helmet-cam footage
Two British Army soldiers have been dismissed after sharing graphic Hamas helmet-cam footage of dead bodies after the Oct 7 2023 attacks on Israel. The signallers Zakariya Munir and Mohammed Salah shared clips of corpses being kicked and montages of 'dead civilians lying in pools of blood', a court martial heard. The pair also shared a video of an Islamic State execution. Both have now been dismissed from the Army. The court martial was told Munir found the videos and sent them to Salah. The soldiers exchanged messages about the content, with Munir telling Salah that they would not be shown in the media. Salah, a father of one, then sent them to other service personnel. Munir was charged with four counts of sending offensive messages on a public network. Salah was charged with three counts of the same at Bulford Military Court, in Wiltshire. Both soldiers, from the 10th Signal Regiment, denied the offences but were convicted by court martial. Munir and Salah had served in the Armed Forces since 2021 and 2019 respectively. Lieutenant Colonel Felicity Bryson, prosecuting, said the videos 'depicted real scenes of brutality during the October Hamas attacks'. She said: 'On Oct 8, Sig Munir said he had a video of the attack and that they won't be shown in the media. 'The video was taken from a head-cam from the perspective of an irregular fighter. They show faces and bodies of corpses being searched and being kicked by the cameraman. 'Sig Munir asked whether he wanted to see another one, saying it was a bit graphic, though. He asked whether he was on Telegram, saying it was all on there. 'Sig Munir sent a video showing montages of soldiers in barracks interspersed with dead civilians lying in pools of blood. He later sent a video of a group of young men shoving and urinating on elderly men who had their heads bagged and hands tied.' Fiona Edington, defending Munir, said: 'He is a young and naive soldier who has become susceptible to peer pressure. His colonel said he is a developing soldier who made a mistake and is showing clear signs of learning. He has a lot to offer to the British Army.' James Hay, defending Salah, said the soldier suffered from extreme anxiety. 'His arrest led to instances of vomiting and hyperventilating,' he added. Judge Advocate General Alan Large dismissed both soldiers, saying: 'You sent messages to each other about the Oct 7 attacks. There is nothing sinister about that. 'However, you then contacted him with videos, saying, 'You won't see this in the media'. This all happened in the context of events that were globally important. You sent these grossly offensive videos in the immediate aftermath of these events. 'The videos showed bodies that had been violated, and it is highly likely that they were taken by those who had committed murder and war crimes. The last video actually showed people being murdered. 'You were both serving members of the British Army, and when you sign up for that there are certain values that you must adhere to.'
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Telegraph
British Army soldiers sacked for sharing Oct 7 helmet-cam footage
Two British Army soldiers have been dismissed after sharing graphic Hamas helmet-cam footage of dead bodies after the Oct 7 2023 attacks on Israel. The signallers Zakariya Munir and Mohammed Salah shared clips of corpses being kicked and montages of 'dead civilians lying in pools of blood', a court martial heard. The pair also shared a video of an Islamic State execution. Both have now been dismissed from the Army. The court martial was told Munir found the videos and sent them to Salah. The soldiers exchanged messages about the content, with Munir telling Salah that they would not be shown in the media. Salah, a father of one, then sent them to other service personnel. Munir was charged with four counts of sending offensive messages on a public network. Salah was charged with three counts of the same at Bulford Military Court, in Wiltshire. Both soldiers, from the 10th Signal Regiment, denied the offences but were convicted by court martial. Munir and Salah had served in the Armed Forces since 2021 and 2019 respectively. Lieutenant Colonel Felicity Bryson, prosecuting, said the videos 'depicted real scenes of brutality during the October Hamas attacks'. She said: 'On Oct 8, Sig Munir said he had a video of the attack and that they won't be shown in the media. 'The video was taken from a head-cam from the perspective of an irregular fighter. They show faces and bodies of corpses being searched and being kicked by the cameraman. 'Sig Munir asked whether he wanted to see another one, saying it was a bit graphic, though. He asked whether he was on Telegram, saying it was all on there. 'Sig Munir sent a video showing montages of soldiers in barracks interspersed with dead civilians lying in pools of blood. He later sent a video of a group of young men shoving and urinating on elderly men who had their heads bagged and hands tied.' 'Susceptible to peer pressure' Fiona Edington, defending Munir, said: 'He is a young and naive soldier who has become susceptible to peer pressure. His colonel said he is a developing soldier who made a mistake and is showing clear signs of learning. He has a lot to offer to the British Army.' James Hay, defending Salah, said the soldier suffered from extreme anxiety. 'His arrest led to instances of vomiting and hyperventilating,' he added. Judge Advocate General Alan Large dismissed both soldiers, saying: 'You sent messages to each other about the Oct 7 attacks. There is nothing sinister about that. 'However, you then contacted him with videos, saying, 'You won't see this in the media'. This all happened in the context of events that were globally important. You sent these grossly offensive videos in the immediate aftermath of these events. 'The videos showed bodies that had been violated, and it is highly likely that they were taken by those who had committed murder and war crimes. The last video actually showed people being murdered. 'You were both serving members of the British Army, and when you sign up for that there are certain values that you must adhere to.'
RNZ News
12-06-2025
- RNZ News
Corporal Manu Anthony Smith sentenced over intimate recording of woman without consent
Corporal Manu Smith. Photo: Pool / Stuff / Kai Schwoerer A soldier has been sentenced to two months detention in a military jail for making an intimate visual recording of a woman without her consent. Corporal Manu Anthony Smith made the recording while having sex with his now-former girlfriend in 2020. The sentencing followed a three-day court martial at Burnham Military Camp. The 41-year-old has also been ordered to pay $2000 in compensation to the woman. Smith will remain in the army, but will be on a formal written warning for the next year. On Wednesday, a three-person military panel found Smith guilty of taking the images of the woman during sexual activity between August and December 2020. Two other charges against Smith were dropped on the second day of the hearing. Before the verdict was reached, the woman who was filmed by Smith told the court martial she felt ashamed and embarrassed about the recording. Smith's commanding officer told the court he was a diligent and enthusiastic soldier and had been decorated for his service in Afghanistan's Bamiyan province. His sisters spoke of his mana and dedication to the armed forces. During his summing up on Wednesday morning, Judge Gilbert said the case was one of law not of morals. He said the panel must not let beliefs about the way Smith or the complainants were living their lives colour deliberations. In a court martial, all three members of a military panel must agree unanimously on a verdict. The panel deliberated for less than two hours before returning the guilty verdict. Judge Gilbert said neither party disputed Smith made the video. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Daily Mail
'Old school' British Army corporal lost his temper and had a knife fight with a junior soldier - over his messy room
An 'old school' British Army corporal has been jailed after losing his temper and having a knife fight with a junior soldier over his messy room. Corporal Geraint Evans-Dymond, 35, flipped over a bunk bed which had been bolted to the floor, before telling Fusilier Hezron Harper to 'sort out your admin'. The row escalated into a knife fight which saw both servicemen hauled before a court martial. Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard the incident took place late at night on May 28 last year when the two soldiers - both members of the first battalion of the Royal Welsh regiment - were in Germany following a deployment to Estonia. Prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Felicity Bryson said that there was 'some very minimal provocation' of Cpl Evans-Dymond because of 'failures to maintain the accommodation to the standard directed'. After flipping the bunk bed, he directed his anger at his 34-year-old junior colleague, grabbing him at chest height and telling him to sort out his 'f***ing admin' before pushing him to the wall. The prosecutor said: 'Cpl Dymond had flipped Fus Jones's bunk bed over - this took quite some strength, they were bolted to the floor.' The fusilier retaliated some time afterwards by stabbing him with a utility tool - similar to a Swiss army knife - and then biting him. Cpl Evans-Dymond pleaded guilty to a disciplinary charge of using threatening behaviour, and Fus Harper pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and attempted grievous bodily harm. Sentencing the pair, Assistant Judge Advocate General Jane England said: 'In May of 2024, your unit was in transit accommodation in Germany on return from Estonia. 'Many of the unit, including Fus Harper, had returned about a week before you, Corporal Evans-Dymond, returned. 'But when you returned to the room, you were unhappy with the bedspace allocation. 'You ousted a junior fusilier, who took issue with that. You got angry, flipping the bunk over and shouting. 'You then targeted your anger at Fus Harper, telling him his admin was poor and then frankly lost your temper, threatening him with violence, pushing him to the wall and shouting in his face.' This was the 'catalyst' for Fus Harper's retaliation, the court heard. The judge continued: 'You're described as having an old-school style of leadership - not to everyone's taste, direct and forceful. 'There's not always time for a please or a thank you, and sometimes directness is a way to get things done, particularly if soldiers are being lazy or lacking discipline. 'But flipping beds and attacking soldiers should be a thing of the distant past.' The judge added: 'Behaviour such as flipping beds and pushing soldiers up against the wall has no place in the modern army.' Addressing Fus Harper, Judge England said: 'You ran around to the entrance of the building, intent on confronting Cpl Evans-Dymond and having opened the blade of your garber you ran at Cpl Evans-Dymond trying to stab him.' Fus Harper later told his troop commander that it was 'his natural reaction to fight back'. He was pulled away from Cpl Evans-Dymond by two sergeants. The judge noted that Cpl Evans-Dymond, who has served in the army for 15 years, faced a court martial in 2020 for grievous bodily harm against a colleague in an accommodation-type environment. He was sentenced to a period of detention for this - she said that he should have learnt from this that 'violence is not the answer to a frustrating situation'. Defending Corporal Evans-Dymond, Libby Anderson said he was 'sleep deprived' following a 'long train journey'. She said his wife had also recently suffered a miscarriage. 'The army has changed, and it has perhaps taken Corporal Dymond some time after promotion to realise that,' she said. 'He cannot compose himself now as a corporal perhaps as corporals did when he was a private soldier - but he does now recognise that.' Ms Anderson added that at the time of his previous offence, Corporal Evans-Dymond's father had recently passed away. He is currently on crutches because he is recovering from surgery on his ankle for an unrelated injury. Defending Fus Harper, Fiona Edington said that he is from Grenada, and he hasn't been able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK because of the pending outcome of the proceedings. She said he experienced a 'red mist', and his actions were 'spontaneous and stupid'. 'He regrets that he even reacted to [Corporal Evans-Dymond's] bullying behaviour,' she said. 'In my submission, he was being bullied by someone who should've known better.' Cpl Evans-Dymond was demoted by one rank and sentenced to four months' service detention. Fus Harper was dismissed from the army and was sentenced to 26 months' imprisonment for the grievous bodily harm and 20 weeks for the assault, to be served concurrently.
