Jail term for Iraq abuse poster girl
US soldier Lynndie England, who said she was only trying to please her boyfriend when she took part in detainee abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, has been sentenced to three years behind bars.
England’s sentencing late on Tuesday wrapped up the last of nine courts-martial of low-level soldiers charged in the abuse scandal, which severely damaged America’s image in the Muslim world and tarnished the US military at home and abroad.
The jury of five army officers needed about 90 minutes to determine their sentence for England, a 22-year-old reservist from rural West Virginia.
The charges carried up to nine years, but prosecutor Captain Chris Graveline asked the jury to imprison her for four to six years. The defence asked for no time behind bars.
England sat with her eyes forward as the verdict was read, occasionally looking down.
Apology
England, the most recognisable of the reservists charged after the graphic abuse photos became public, was convicted on Monday on six of the seven counts against her.
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England blamed ex-boyfriend |
She apologised on Tuesday for posing for the photos, saying she did so at the behest of Private Charles Graner, the boyfriend who she said took advantage of her love and trust while they were deployed in Iraq.
“I was used by Private Graner,” England said. “I didn’t realise it at the time.”
She appeared in several of the most infamous photos taken by US guards at Abu Ghraib in late 2003.
In one image she held a naked prisoner on a leash, while in others she posed with a pyramid of naked detainees and pointed at the genitals of a prisoner while a cigarette hung from the corner of her mouth.