THREE Army training instructors appeared at a military court today accused of bullying and ill-treating young recruits.

Corporal Christopher Jakeman, ex-Corporal Stuart Pagett and Colour Sergeant Michael Heatherington faced charges brought under the Army Act 1955 at a court martial at the Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.

Ex-Cpl Pagett and Cpl Jakeman, of the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, mistreated three recruits by punching and kicking them, the hearing heard.

Colour Sgt Hetherington, of the 1st Battalion The Rifles, faces two separate charges of neglecting to perform a formal duty for not reporting the incidents.

The court heard how new recruits ex-Rifleman Thomas Pearson, Kingsman Matthew Lucas and Rifleman Derek Antwi-Boasiako were subjected to bullying behaviour by the non-commissioned officers during training at the Catterick Garrison.

Pagett attacked Rifleman Antwi-Boasiako in a toilet after the young soldier had tapped him on the shoulder during a circuit training exercise, mistakenly believing him to be a fellow recruit, Major William Peters, prosecuting told the court.

He took offence to being touched by the young recruit, and punched him in the chest and arms and damaged his finger during the beating.

He also punched ex-Rifleman Thomas Pearson, who has since left the army, in the stomach, as a punishment for finding his locker untidy during a room inspection, and kicked him in the ribs and head for falling behind in a steeplechase exercise.

Jakeman was also accused of mistreating Rifleman Pearson by kneeing him in the groin, throwing him to the floor, and grabbing him by the throat as a punishment for forgetting his combat armour before an exercise.

On another occasion, he pushed his head against a doorframe, Maj Peters told the hearing.

Maj Peters told the military board of three Army personnel hearing the case that while the incidents were relatively minor when taken in isolation, together they were serious and amounted to a degree of bullying.

There were no serious injuries, he told the court. What they amount to is relatively low level physical assaults consistent with a degree of bullying.

But what makes these incidents serious is not the level of injuries, but the fact that they occurred in a training organisation, and were carried out by non commissioned officers who had a general duty to train the recruits to the right standard using recognised methods.

The three instructors deny ten charges between them covering a period between October 2007 and January 2008.

Full story in tomorrow's The Northern Echo