Two Army instructors have been jailed and dismissed from the military after engaging in sexual relations with a 17-year-old recruit. Lance Sergeant Antony Pugh, 36, and Sergeant Connor Forgan, 32, were convicted by a court martial board of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.
The pair, who were instructors at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick, North Yorkshire, formed separate sexual relationships with the trainee, whose identity is protected for legal reasons. The court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, heard that they had boasted to each other about their conduct and shared lewd and demeaning messages about the teenager.
Prosecuting, Commander Edward Hannah said both defendants had shown degrees of planning and were in positions of trust owing to their rank. He told the court that after having sex with Pugh, the recruit had to undergo STD and pregnancy tests and also suffered an internal injury. The court heard that the victim had chosen not to provide a personal statement and wished to move on from the matters.
Passing sentence, Assistant Judge Advocate General Jane England said there were rules in place at ITC Catterick to protect trainees, including a ban on fraternisation between instructors and recruits. She said the defendants had engaged in unprofessional communication that quickly turned sexual, and referred to the recruit in a “disgraceful, indecent and misogynistic manner”.
The judge noted that the offence existed to protect children from being groomed and exploited by those in authority, and that the power imbalance was exacerbated within the military. She said instructors were looked upon as role models and mentors, and their importance was often elevated in the mind of recruits.
Both men, who are veterans of the Afghanistan conflict, had denied the charge but were convicted following a trial last year. Their defence lawyers had argued for suspended sentences, citing their service records and family circumstances, but the judge imposed immediate custodial sentences.
