Recruit tells of vile male rape Army initiation

A SOLDIER has told how he was savagely beaten and raped by men of his unit during a banned initiation ceremony.

The soldier tells of being savagely beaten and raped by men of his own unit The soldier tells of being savagely beaten and raped by men of his own unit

The harrowing incident led to three suicide attempts, a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and the end of a promising career.

Joseph (not his real name) said: “I wanted to be in the Army since I was a boy, to serve Queen and country, to have pride in my local regiment. Now it’s all been taken away from me – not just by the men that assaulted me, but by the Army that showed me it doesn’t back its own men.”

It was a gaffe by senior officers that led to the then 18-year-old being picked on in the first place, when they ordered a last-minute change to another regiment, but failed to give him a new uniform.

“When we had a formal ceremony four days after I arrived, I was the only one wearing the wrong dress uniform. I was the butt of abuse and jokes. I didn’t stand a chance.” On his fifth day with the unit in Germany, in August 2010, Joseph and three other new recruits were taken to a cellar bar on the base for a special initiation ceremony.

They stole my dignity, and they stole my dream

Joseph

They were forced to drink a revolting cocktail of urine and alcohol, beaten and burned with petrol-soaked toilet paper.

Joseph was then grabbed by four men and one raped him. “I was in so much pain, I thought I was going to pass out,” he said.

The ordeal was made worse when the Army broke key promises. “The Colonel of the regiment came to my house and told us that I would never have to see the people who had done that to me – that they would be punished,” said Joseph.

Yet just two months later, when he went to a base in Wales to rejoin the regiment Joseph discovered that he was billeted with the four men who had attacked him.

Because the rape happened in Germany, it was given to the army’s Special Investigations Branch rather than civilian police. The case was closed a year later. Joseph’s family complained to the Services Complaints Commissioner, and a second probe was launched.

Joseph said: “Not one of the four men has been punished for what he did to me. I joined to fight for my country. Now I am facing a medical discharge. They stole my dignity, and they stole my dream.”

Nearly 500 soldiers launched serious complaints last year, of which 285 involved allegations of “proscribed” behaviour like harassment, dishonesty and bullying.

Service Complaints Commissioner Dr Susan Atkins last night called for new powers to become an official ombudsman. “The Army made it quite clear a few years ago that initiation ceremonies cannot be tolerated but we still get a few complaints about them,” she said.

The Ministry of Defence said: “The British Army has a zero tolerance approach to all forms of bullying, discrimination and abuse. Any allegation of rape is taken extremely seriously, thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken.”

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