UK soldiers charged with rape in US

[Secret Squirrel]

Scott Aitken, 22, from Edinburgh, and Andrew Leighton, 28, from Leeds, will be held in joint British and American military custody until their trial, set for December 5.

They appeared at Wyoming District Court and are being held at Warren Air Force base in Cheyenne.

The men, whose Territorial Army battalion is based at Thornbury Barracks in Pudsey, are accused of first degree ****** assault and face up to 50 years in prison.

Both are members of 4 Para, the only Territorial Army battalion of the parachute regiment, which was on a training exercise in Wyoming in June.
Prosecutor Eric Aldan said that a request to be transferred back to the UK pending trial had been denied. "We are thinking that we will have one joint trial," he added.

The alleged victim gave a graphic account of the reputed attack to local newspaper the Casper Star-Tribune.

She claimed she met the two men in a bar.

The following week she said the pair had been walking her home but when they got to her garden they allegedly raped her in a 40-minute ordeal.

She told the newspaper she had decided to go public as she was concerned they would be released and allowed back home.
The woman said: "I want this prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
The men had previously made a brief appearance at a court in the small town of Wheatland in Platte County.

link (http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1135463)

[CMNot]

Christ seems to be a few Para's up on charges on the moment.

In seriousness though, what the **** is with the 'victim' being allowed to tell the intricasies of the event to the press prior to a hearing? Crazy.

[BarkingSquirrel]

Who, where and how long are not "intricasies". Now had she gone into detail about how long and what color their *****' were and whether they had been circumcised/were any good or not, then those would have been "intricasies".

[oldsoak]

If they are guilty , I hope they get the book thrown at them.

[Thor]

Hmm, is this woman trustworthy?

[CMNot]

Squirrel I refer you to this particular line...


The alleged victim gave a graphic account of the reputed attack to local newspaper the Casper Star-Tribune.

Would that not insinuate that she gave some depth of detail, it being a 'graphic account'.

Don't know quite how the law works in the states regarding this, but telling the press pretty much anything from her own mouth would jepordize her case in a lot of countries.

But then, how much is the story worth? Maybe I'm just old and cynical...

[BarkingSquirrel]

And? They can't report it, so what? You also have to remember these are the same people who call you a sniper if you shoot from more than five feet away. Inserting the word graphic only serves to drum up interest which equals higher ratings/more papers sold.

[CMNot]

And? They can't report it, so what?

My point was that they can report it, of course they can. Just that in many countries across the globe, this would fast track having her case thrown out of court.

I was just surprised you are allowed to go blabbing to the press, who give their slant to the public, from whom the jury comes.

[Wodan]

And? They can't report it, so what?

My point was that they can report it, of course they can. Just that in many countries across the globe, this would fast track having her case thrown out of court.

I was just surprised you are allowed to go blabbing to the press, who give their slant to the public, from whom the jury comes.

I think it would be the same here in europe, if she tells all the **** to the press.

[dunkin]

I'm from Wyoming and I was stationed at where they are being held.

This is the only thing that I could find that was reported by the Casper Star Tribune.


WHEATLAND -- Two British soldiers are waiting to find out if they will be allowed to return home after appearing in an 8th Judicial District courtroom Friday afternoon.

Andrew P. Leighton, 28, of Leeds, England, and Scott Aitken, 22, of Edinburgh, Scotland, appeared before District Judge Keith Kautz in the Platte County Courthouse dressed in gray trousers, white shirts and black shoes, clean shaven with short military haircuts.

Both men pleaded not guilty to felony charges of first-degree ****** assault in connection with the reported rape of a 24-year-old woman from Guernsey on July 27.

The victim, a petite, dark-haired young woman, was in the courtroom and cried several times during the proceedings and while waiting for court to begin, as the arraignment was delayed because of the late appearance of the court reporter.

The men are paratroopers and were stationed with the United Kingdom's Army Reserve 4th Battalion Parachute Regiment in training at Camp Guernsey when the alleged incident occurred.

Kautz began the hearing by informing both men of their rights and reviewed the charges and maximum penalties that could be imposed -- 50 years in prison.

Both answered with strong British accents that they understood the charges, and both repeated separately to Kautz what the charges were and what the maximum penalty would be.

When the men were asked what they pleaded to the charges, they answered separately, "Not guilty."

Kautz set trial dates for Dec. 5 for Aitken and Dec. 12 for Leighton. He said the state must file a motion by Sept. 9 if it wants to try them together.

Aitken's attorney, David Serelson, and Leighton's attorney, Daniel Blythe, asked Kautz to modify their bonds and release them to return home.

Serelson said both men were to be deployed at the end of this month to Iraq, but those orders had been canceled, and that Aitken had complied with every condition that the court had set.

"He's just turned 22. He's a soldier in the British military," Serelson said. "He is a good, productive young man, and he promises the court he will return to any court hearings that will be set and comply with any conditions the court sets."

Serelson also said Aitken would turn over his passport to the British military, to ensure he wouldn't flee.


Whole Story:
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/09/05/news/wyoming/a5f490ffa14f390d8725707100002e24.txt


I have a few contacts in that area and I'll see what else was reported.

[gaz]

If they are guilty , I hope they get the book thrown at them.

A short drop and a quick stop, job done.

[CMNot]

Thanks for posting that Dunkin, most useful.

Hardly a graphic account :roll:

I'm assuming Camp Guernsey is a US base. Whose based in Wyoming out of interest, anyone from the 101st or 82nd?

[RGRBOX]

Hmm, is this woman trustworthy?

Of course, she just stopped working at a hotel in Colorado, and desided to move up to WO. to see if she could get a job up there... I think she got a recommendation from Koby Bryant.... ;)

I didn't read anything about this case, but sounds like a big deal..

[BarkingSquirrel]

And? They can't report it, so what?

My point was that they can report it, of course they can. Just that in many countries across the globe, this would fast track having her case thrown out of court.

I was just surprised you are allowed to go blabbing to the press, who give their slant to the public, from whom the jury comes.They can't legally report the details until after the trial and/or they becaome public knowledge during the trial. Just because your law is different doesn't mean we have to follow it.

[dunkin]

Thanks for posting that Dunkin, most useful.

Hardly a graphic account :roll:

I'm assuming Camp Guernsey is a US base. Whose based in Wyoming out of interest, anyone from the 101st or 82nd?

Camp Guernsey is a Wyoming Army/Air National Guard Training area, they us it for all different sort of stuff. Here's a short news clip of what the UK troops were doing there.




United Kingdom soldiers jump, train at Camp Guernsey

BY LISA BENNETT

The roar of the engines on the C-130 drowns out the sound of a solitary bird chirping from the trees in a nearby ravine. Watching the airplane over the DZ (drop zone), first one, then two, then a dozen and more mushroom-like parachutes open for the distance of nearly a mile. They are mostly soldiers with the United Kingdom’s Army Reserve 4th Battalion Parachute Regiment (4 Para), which is being hosted at Camp Guernsey by the Nebraska National Guard Airborne Battalion, 134th Infantry.
In the stillness after the roar of the C-130 overhead was gone, you could hear the shouts of the parachutists as they descended the 1,000 feet to the prairie below. It took just one minute for the jumpers to descend into the tall range grasses of the DZ that is a mixture of rolling hills scattered with trees and rocks at the North Training Area of Camp Guernsey. Once the soldiers landed, they rolled up their chutes, hoisted the 44-pound pack onto their backs and carried the gear to the buses that were waiting to carry them back to camp for a second go.
“It was a good jump and landing,” Comm. Sgt. Maj. Chris Larcom of 4 Para, a 22-year veteran of parachuting said. He said that parachuting at Camp Guernsey has been “good training. It’s hard, demanding, but also enjoyable - quite sporting.”

http://www.torringtontelegram.com/main.php?story_id=3528&page=23




As for the 101st or 82nd, I don't think so, Wyoming has several National Guard stations and one major Air Force base, that's about it.




They can't legally report the details until after the trial and/or they become public knowledge during the trial. Just because your law is different doesn't mean we have to follow it.

You're right they can't report it, and the news paper would be held in contempt of court if they did. For all the stuff I've seen, none of the details have been reported. I've even called a few "sources" in the area and they don't have much more details, other than rumors.

I think this is being handled properly. No major news, and due process of law (from both countries).


[/quote]

[RGRBOX]

You have a link for the NG Airborne Bn...?

[CMNot]

And? They can't report it, so what?

My point was that they can report it, of course they can. Just that in many countries across the globe, this would fast track having her case thrown out of court.

I was just surprised you are allowed to go blabbing to the press, who give their slant to the public, from whom the jury comes.They can't legally report the details until after the trial and/or they becaome public knowledge during the trial. Just because your law is different doesn't mean we have to follow it.

No **** Sherlock :roll:

The law here is exactly the same, I was just wondering in the first instance, whether the 'graphic account' contained details, that's all.

Mikebox, don't know whether you are on about the Brit or US reserve units. Here's 4 Para homepage, the Brit unit mentioned -> http://www.army.mod.uk/para/4bn.htm

[BarkingSquirrel]

The point is it doesn't matter if the account given to the reporters contained details, they can't do anything with it until it becomes public knowledge through the trial.

[RGRBOX]

And? They can't report it, so what?

My point was that they can report it, of course they can. Just that in many countries across the globe, this would fast track having her case thrown out of court.

I was just surprised you are allowed to go blabbing to the press, who give their slant to the public, from whom the jury comes.They can't legally report the details until after the trial and/or they becaome public knowledge during the trial. Just because your law is different doesn't mean we have to follow it.

No **** Sherlock :roll:

The law here is exactly the same, I was just wondering in the first instance, whether the 'graphic account' contained details, that's all.

Mikebox, don't know whether you are on about the Brit or US reserve units. Here's 4 Para homepage, the Brit unit mentioned -> http://www.army.mod.uk/para/4bn.htm

WTF is up with you guys.. I never said anything negative in relation to any of the units... I was just looking for info in relation to the National Guard airborne unit... I didn't know we had any reserve or NG Airborne units.. I knew we have SF, LRS units... that is all...