Soldiers fined for drunken prank

Corporal Paul Kingswood, Lance Corporal Mark Foster and Lance Corporal Matthew Stenton who were serving with a cavalry regiment based in Germany injured an officer after a party at their barracks as part of their drunken stupid stuff and funny pranks ideas. They tied him up, ripped off his boxer shorts and carried him naked from his bedroom which caused him to suffer carpet burns to his torso, elbow and knee.

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.

The prosecuting officer, Lieutenant Colonel David Frend, said a large amount of alcohol had been consumed by both officers and soldiers during a barbecue at the barracks. The court heard the incident happened on May 22 last year just three days after the regiment returned from Iraq. The three soldiers pleaded guilty to conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline at a court martial at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. Kingswood, 25, was fined £1,000, while Foster, 24, and Stenton, 22, were fined £700 each.

"This may have seemed funny to you in drink, but didn't 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." Assistant Judge Advocate General Paul Camp said.

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