MPs have renewed calls for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to move rape cases out of the court martial system as whistleblower evidence revealed ongoing sexual abuse within the armed services.
One servicewoman reported a rape on a base but was told her attacker would remain with his elite unit, according to written submissions provided to the Commons Defence Committee.
Another was said to have been groped and forcibly kissed by a male colleague at a Christmas party before allegedly being told by her chain of command that she should “understand things get a little out of hand”.
The cases outlined in this evidence are heartrending and demonstrate serious failings within the military justice system and chain of command
Conservative MP Sarah Atherton, chairwoman of the Defence Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces, said the submissions reinforce the group’s view that cases of rape and sexual assault within the service should be handled by civilian courts.
The move was first proposed after a 2021 parliamentary inquiry into the experiences of servicewomen but the MoD rejected the recommendation.
Evidence was given by uniformed and civilian clinicians and administrative support staff offering care to service personnel and their commands.
They have been anonymised as have the personnel their claims relate to, the committee said.
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