THREE soldiers who injured an officer when they tied him up and carried him naked from his bedroom in a drunken prank have been fined.

Corporal Paul Kingswood, Lance Corporal Mark Foster and Lance Corporal Matthew Stenton dragged the officer from his bed after a party at their barracks.

In the struggle to carry him outside, they ripped off his boxer shorts and caused him to suffer carpet burns to his torso, elbow and knee.

The three soldiers, who were serving with a cavalry regiment based in Germany, pleaded guilty to conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline at a court martial at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

The court heard the incident happened on May 22 last year, three days after the regiment returned from Iraq. Lieutenant Colonel David Frend, prosecuting officer, said a large amount of alcohol had been consumed by both officers and soldiers during a barbecue at the barracks.

The three defendants were invited by a captain to continue drinking in the officers mess. The captain, who was second in command in the squadron, took the defendants to the complainants room and left them while he went to find another officer.

It was then that the incident took place. Lt Col Frend said: "It was an idea induced by alcohol, a prank." The three soldiers tied the hands of the officer with a tie and his legs with a dressing gown belt and tried to lift him, ripping his boxer shorts off in the process and leaving him naked.

In the struggle to lift and carry him, the officer was injured. Kingswood, 25, was fined £1,000, while Foster, 24, and Stenton, 22, were fined £700 each.

Sentencing the three soldiers, Assistant Judge Advocate General Paul Camp said: "This may have seemed funny to you in drink, but didnt seem funny to the victim. By then, this ceased to be a prank, it had become a nasty incident. It was a nasty incident in which he suffered nasty carpet burns.

"It showed a lack of respect to an officer, to behave in this way undermines discipline and respect for the British Army."