Baha Mousa: a 'grave and shameful' verdict on the British Army 08.09.11
19An innocent Iraqi civilian died in British Army custody after suffering "an appalling episode of serious gratuitous violence", a public inquiry concluded today.
The sustained abuse meted out to father-of-two Baha Mousa, 26, represented a "very serious breach of discipline" by members of 1st Battalion the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (1QLR), the landmark inquiry found.
Inquiry chairman Sir William Gage said a number of British soldiers, including 1QLR's former commanding officer Colonel Jorge Mendonca, bore a "heavy responsibility" for the tragedy.
He said: "The events described in the report represent a very serious and regrettable incident. Such an incident should not have happened and should never happen again."
The inquiry also condemned the "corporate failure" by the Ministry of Defence that led to interrogation techniques banned by the British government in 1972 - including hooding and making prisoners stand in painful stress positions - being used by soldiers in Iraq.