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British soldiers cleared of tribal rapes after £3m inquiry finds forged records
Times Online Link
Times Online Link
British soldiers have been cleared over allegations that they raped hundreds of tribeswomen during training exercises in Kenya, The Times has learnt.
An inquiry that has cost the British taxpayer more than £3 million has established that police records were forged with the connivance of senior Kenyan officers to support the claims.
The findings, being made public today, are certain to increase tensions between Britain and its former East African colony. Relations are already strained over British accusations of high-level corruption and demands for ministerial dismissals.
The investigation by the Royal Military Police (RMP) has concluded that there is not one single case to answer out of 2,187 reported rapes. A team of 12 to 18 investigators spent ten months in Kenya between October 2003 and July 2004 and interviewed all 2,187 claimants, most of whom were Masai and Samburu tribeswomen from some of the most remote areas, where about 3,000 British servicemen train every year.
Working with local interpreters, the investigators deemed only 281 cases worthy of further examination. These fell apart on closer scrutiny and during follow-up interviews with other local people and former members of the Army in Britain.