Paras face murder charge

Seven soldiers are to face court martial over the death of an Iraqi civilian, the Attorney General said today.

The Army Prosecuting Board has directed that the men - all from the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment - should be tried.

They have been charged with a joint offence of murder and a second joint charge of violent disorder.

The matter relates to the death of a man in May 2003 following a roadside incident in Al U'Zayra in southern Iraq.

The Attorney General today named three of the men to stand trial as Corporal Scott Evans, Private William Nerney and Daniel Harding, now a civilian.

The other four will be named once they have been informed of the charges against them. No date has yet

been set for the court martial or a preliminary hearing.

Sources told the Standard that the charges related to an incident in which an Iraqi teenager, believed to have been 17, was allegedly kicked, beaten and clubbed to death.

It is claimed he was in a car chase and was caught and dragged out of the vehicle by soldiers. Not all members of the unit are believed to have directly taken part but all could still be charged because they did nothing to stop it. The soldiers are understood to strenuously deny the charges. A military trial would probably take place at the Paras' home base in Colchester.

It will be a further blow to the reputation of the Army in Iraq. Devastating pictures of the abuse of detainees were published around the world last month as part of a court martial which is still going on.