British soldier: "I saw forklift abuse"

[kuozzman]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4224167.stm

A British soldier has told a court martial how an Iraqi detainee was tied to a forklift truck and repeatedly driven into a wall by other soldiers.

Pte David Coxon was at the trial of three soldiers accused of abusing Iraqis in Basra in 2003.

He told the court in Germany how around 20 soldiers laughed and jeered as an Iraqi eventually fell from the fork.

But defence lawyers say he invented the story to deflect from his own role in forcing Iraqis to simulate sex acts.

Cpl Daniel Kenyon, 33, and L/Cpl Mark Cooley, 25, both of Newcastle upon Tyne, deny all the charges they face.

L/Cpl Darren Larkin, 30, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, admits one charge of assaulting a prisoner but denies another charge.

[Straight Shooter]

1. Let me guess: Rush Limbaugh's response, "Boys will be boys."

:nuke:

[Lautremont]

2. Abuse of a forklift is meaningless with so much human suffering

I hope that term doesn't become this year's 'wardrobe malfunction'; or, if it keeps the abuse in the spotlight, I hope it does.

[Goldeneye]

4. ummmm...

[kuozzman]

7. Exactly, ummmmmm........

[roguevalley]

3. Well, none of us will come out of this in one piece. I hope Blair is

happy. Spin this, you bastard.

[merwin]

5. I am 100% against abuse against forklifts.

[Seemann For Congress]

6. Oh, come on!

Every single day, cheerleaders in high school tie each other to forklifts and repeatedly run into walls. We don't call THAT torture.

[merwin]

10. LMAO! n/t

[DS1]

8. When forklifts are outlawed, only outlaws will lift forks

Really, a person would be smashed beyond recognition if driven into a wall on a forklift.

[merwin]

9. Well, I think they made him stand on the fork and tied him standing.

That's the only conceivable way I can think of. Otherwise he would have been impaled :-)

[DS1]

11. Still, it's a device that's designed to be extremely heavy to

allow it to lift heavy objects and not tip over easily, people don't respond well to 6 thousand or so pounds of force pushing them into a wall

[merwin]

12. No, I think that they never touched the wall.

The end of the forks did.

[Dude_CalmDown]

15. What the fuck right do they have to fuck with prisoners in any way? n/t

*

[left is right]

13. Or, raise the forks to a height of 5-6 feet

suspend the prisoner between the forks and bump into the wall, stopping when the forks made contact. Prisoner wouldn't necessarily have to hit the wall to recieve a powerful jolt, maybe even bone-crushing.

[merwin]

14. Oooooh, that's getting creative! I like that one.

[Judi Lynn]

16. DU'ers have read about these events since they first were uncovered

Nothing too tricky about it. From the article:

Evidence of the alleged abuse came to light when a set of photographs was left for processing at a shop in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

A film developer called police because she was "disturbed by the content".
(snip/)

Looks like the prosecution didn't try to think of any "cute" things to say about this nastiness.