British Colonel arrested

[anotheoldgit]

Should not this person be tried by a Military Court?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-113543 9/British-Colonel-arrested-leaking-Afghan-war- secrets.html

[PeasAndRice]

i thought this was KFC news....thank god it wasnt so....

[Gromit]

I may be wrong, but I think a military court can prosecute for breaking discipline. Breaking the Official secrets Act is usually dealt with in the crown court.

If you are asking, should he have been charged with a lesser offense and dealt with within the military system, I would say not. To get to the truth, it is better not to have an organisation investigating itself, whether it is the Military, Police or Haringey Social services.

[Lonnie]

I believe, he should have been tried first by a Court Martial, then if found guilty, he wold have been cashiered, then he would have been arrested and tried by a civilian court.

As for telling the truth, there are times when it is against the law, you can only do that as a serving soldier, if you've been given permission. There are various reasons for that, and most of them good.

[jno]

I don't think you can - or should - be tried twice for the same thing, Lonnie; though I could be wrong.

[anotheoldgit]

Shame about the education these days.

I said British Colonel, Colonel Sanders was an American.

He wasn't even a proper Colonel just an honorary one.

[Rollo]

Before they charge him they will have to decided what the probability is of a civilian jury finding him not guilty, even if the evidence proves he is guilty!

They might just have such a problem with a randomly selected jury.

[fredpuli47]

No, as indicated the article, cases of this nature are tried at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court. There it wlil be tried before a High Court Judge (or one of CCC judges, regarded as of that rank )That's the law

Courts martial may try cases where the crime is against civilian criminal law. In practice, in Britain, the regular courts take the case if the alleged crime is committed here 'off barracks'. A serving soldier who is charged with causing death by dangerous driving on the MI is not going to be tried by court martial (though he might be tried there for any offences against military good order and discipline which were disclosed),

[jake-the-peg]

In September last year, Miss Reid reported on a clash between the UK military and local people over a U.S. air raid while Nato said only seven civilians died, local Afghans said the figure was more like 90.
....

But the whole point of defeating the Taliban is winning hearts and minds and stopping the population joining their cause. If they think we're lying to them, it could become a very dangerous place.

Er... well don't do it then!