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Bullying claim recruit was "lazy", court martial told
AN ARMY recruit who claimed he was bullied at a North Yorkshire training base was "lazy" and needed extra attention to reach the standard of his peers, his former instructor told a court martial today.
Ex-Corporal Stuart Pagett, who denies charges of mistreatment of recruits, told the hearing at Catterick Garrison he threatened to "severely punish" Rifleman Derek Antwi-Boasiako for touching him on the arm during a circuit training session but denied beating him and said no further action was taken.
The charges relate to complaints made by three recruits they were subject to "bullying" behaviour by Pagett and Corporal Christopher Jakeman, of the 2nd Battalion The Rifles.
Ex-Rifleman Thomas Pearson, Kingsman Matthew Lucas and Private Antwi-Boasiako have told the court they were beaten, kicked, and punched by Jakeman and Pagett for making mistakes during their training.
Pte Antwi-Boasiako has told the hearing Pagett attacked him in a toilet after he tapped him on the shoulder during a circuit training exercise, mistakenly believing him to be a fellow recruit. He said he was punched in the chest and arms and his finger was damaged during the beating.
Pagett has also been accused of kicking ex-Rifleman Thomas Pearson in the ribs and head for falling behind in a steeplechase exercise.
Jakeman was also accused of mistreating ex-Rifleman Pearson by kneeing him in the groin as a punishment for forgetting his combat armour before an exercise, and pushing the recruit's head against a door frame.
The pair faced eight charges between them covering a period between October 2007 and January 2008 but Pagett was today cleared of punching ex-Rifleman Pearson in the stomach after finding his locker untidy, while Jakeman was formally cleared of punching Kingsman Lucas.
The two instructors continue to deny the remaining six charges between them covering the period between October 2007 and January 2008.
Cpl Jakeman, whose ten-year army career has included postings in Belfast, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Bosnia and Iraq, said he would shout at the former Rifleman Pearson as a means of helping him through the gruelling training.
"He was a person who needed a shock. It was to help him. That is my job," he said.
The officer, who returned from Afghanistan to face the court martial, added this had never extended into physical violence and was not "a punishment for weakness".
Pagett told the court he thought Rifleman Derek Antwi-Boasiako was a "lazy" recruit but denied he had a grudge against him.
He also denied claims he had "picked on" ex-Rifleman Pearson but said he felt "let down" by his performance and forgetfulness. He said had "never" kicked or punched him.
"He was always very polite," he said. "He was never rude. You couldn't be angry with him. He let us all down because of his own demeanour and self-esteem. You would have to (reprimand] him, but I would always explain why afterwards, and he always understood why."
The ex-officer, who left the army "for personal reasons" after the birth of his son, admitted he had threatened to "severely punish" Private Antwi-Boasiako after he had touched him on the arm during a circuit training session.
"He grabbed my forearm after I had had a go at him for being lazy," Pagett told the court.
"He knew he shouldn't have done it. I said: 'Next time you do that you will be severely punished', but once I had spoken to him about it, that was the end of it."
Pagett told the panel of three military personnel trying the case he had spent more time with Privates Antwi-Boasiako and Pearson not because he had singled them out as his victims but because they were among the weakest recruits and demanded more of his attention than stronger soldiers.
"You have to spend more time with the weaker members than with your star pupils," he told the court martial. "I spent more time with them because I needed to bring them on."
Charges against a third training instructor, Colour Sergeant Michael Hetherington, were dismissed today.
Assistant Judge Advocate General Paul Camp directed the military panel to return a not guilty verdict against Colour Sergeant Hetherington, of the 1st Battalion The Rifles, after he was accused of failing to report that recruits had complained of being beaten and bullied by training officers at Catterick.
The trial was adjourned until Monday.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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