British serviceman facing prosecution over death of Iraqi teenager says Army has 'betrayed its finest people' by abandoning troops over abuse claims

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A British soldier facing prosecution over the drowning of an Iraqi teenager has accused the Army of 'betraying its finest' by leaving him to be 'hounded' over the death.

The serviceman is one of three - including a decorated major - who have been pursued by the courts for 13 years over the death of Said Shabram.

Said, 19, drowned in the Shatt al-Arab river near Basra, southern Iraq, after allegedly being forced into the water at gunpoint by British troops in 2003.

The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat) recommended prosecution even though a military investigation in 2006 cleared the men, two of whom are still serving.

Said Shabram, 19, (pictured) drowned in the Shatt al-Arab river near Basra, after allegedly being forced into the water at gunpoint by British troops in 2003

The soldier, who spoke anonymously, said the Army has 'failed in its most basic duty of care' by leaving them unsupported.  

Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, the man said: 'The reality of 21st Century warfare is now that anyone in the world, even our enemies, can make any allegation against British forces no matter how absurd, and the British Government and Army will stand and watch in utter indifference as it destroys their lives and careers.

'The Army has surrendered its own powers of discipline and investigation to a private company and betrayed its finest people to protect itself from scrutiny at the highest levels.'

He said the Army's top brass have sacrificed junior ranks to protect themselves.

A British soldier facing prosecution over the drowning of the Iraqi teenager has accused the Army of 'betraying its finest' by leaving him to be 'hounded' over the death (stock)

'Regardless of the allegation, everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and the Army has failed in its most basic duty of care', he said.

'There are veterans who have been persecuted for years by Ihat, but haven't heard a single word of support from the Army, yet alone legal or psychological support.'

His comments come after Theresa May insisted she will not allow an 'industry of vexatious allegations' against British troops over claims of abuse in Iraq. 

Concerns have been raised over the 'industrial scale' of claims lodged with Ihat supported by the legal aid system.

Mrs May has insisted that action had been taken to address false claims and Ihat's work would be completed by the end of 2019, after a review of the system by former director of public prosecutions Sir David Calvert-Smith.

Johnny Mercer MP, a member of the Defence Select Committee who is heading an investigation into Ihat, branded the legal pursuit of troops 'a national disgrace'.

His comments come after Theresa May (pictured) insisted she will not allow an 'industry of vexatious allegations' against British troops over claims of abuse in Iraq

Mr Mercer, a former army officer who served in Afghanistan, called for Ihat to be axed.

He told Today: 'I feel that we asked a generation of our young people to conduct a deeply unpopular war, poorly resourced, poorly planned, and when they return to the United Kingdom they are then pursued for decades afterwards by spurious allegations - what has become a self-fulfilling and entirely self-inflicted industry, financed by the taxpayer, which has yet to produce a single prosecution.'

He said the UK has done its servicemen and women 'a huge disservice', adding: 'A process of seeking compensation by foreign nationals run by a private company is now ruining lives for both those who are serving and those who are retired, and it is not the way we look after our servicemen and women in this country.'

Mr Mercer said European human rights law should not be applied to the battlefield and that 'absolutely Ihat should be shut down'.

But Lieutenant-Colonel Nicholas Mercer, the British Army's chief legal adviser in Iraq in 2003, said many of the legal claims brought against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been proven.

He told Today: 'I hear the words vexatious and spurious bandied around, but to date there have been 326 settled cases, and the Government has paid up £20 million.

'Now if the Government paid out they are not vexatious and they are not spurious, they are proven and the MoD have admitted liability.'

He said it is alleged the MoD wrongly taught its soldiers interrogation techniques that are in breach of the Geneva Convention and urged the Ministry to 'come clean on what its interrogation direction was and whether it breached the Geneva Conventions and European Conventions and admit its corporate responsibility'.