Army teacher forces junior soldier to lie in a puddle

An Army instructor is being investigated after a video exclusively obtained by the Mail revealed his abuse of a black recruit.

In the footage the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) was first seen forcing the junior soldier to lie in a puddle and do press ups.

Then he leant over the terrified trainee, pulled off his cap and screamed that he would ‘punch his head in’.

The Mail has established the ordeal took place on a parade square at the Army’s Infantry Training Centre (ITC) in Catterick, North Yorkshire, in recent weeks.

The NCO, from the Coldstream Guards, would likely have escaped punishment had the incident not been filmed on a mobile phone.

An Army instructor is being investigated after a video exclusively obtained by the Mail revealed his sickening abuse of a recruit

In the shocking footage the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) was first seen forcing the junior soldier to lie in a puddle and do press ups

The footage triggered an internal investigation which resulted in the instructor being removed from ITC. Further inquiries are being made, the Army confirmed today/last night.

Following an exercise, the NCO clearly singled out the errant recruit, shouting at him to ‘get here’ and pointing to a puddle.

He then screamed a succession of obscenities at the junior soldier as he was lying face down in the water.

Meanwhile, a squad of other recruits were standing in formation watching and listening to their colleague’s ordeal.

The NCO, who apparently holds the rank of corporal, then asked the recruit: ‘Why are you giving me that f****** attitude? Stop eyeballing me or I’ll punch your head in.’

The instructor became more enraged by the second and the video, verified by the Mail, captures the moment he leant forward so his face was just inches from the recruit.

He then used the ‘c word’ repeatedly to describe the recruit, amid other insults. Whether there was a racial element to how he treated the recruit remains unknown.

The NCO’s behaviour clearly appears to represent a breach of the Army’s Values and Standards policy.

The Mail understands he has been booted out of ITC pending an extended investigation. He could face further disciplinary action.

Then he leant over the terrified trainee, pulled off his cap and screamed that he would ‘punch his head in’

In recent years, suicides among junior personnel have raised concerns the UK’s armed forces are struggling to stamp out abusive behaviours.

Only a fortnight ago, an inquest heard how a trainee Royal Marine was subjected to a barrage of personal abuse in the weeks before he took his own life.

Connor Clarke, 18, had been singled out by instructors at the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone, Devon in June 2021. He then fled the base at night.

The following morning his body was found next to a railway track. In his suicide note he quoted some of the names he was called by senior Royal Marines.

Violent swearing, as seen in the Mail’s video recorded at ITC recently, was a factor in his death, the inquest heard.

Today, lawyer Emma Norton, director of the Centre for Military Justice, said: ‘The Army rightly expects to be able to discipline its soldiers, sometimes in ways that might seem harsh to us civilians.

‘Public humiliation, screaming threats of violence and using foul, degrading language crosses that line and is completely unnecessary.

‘It is particularly harmful if a young soldier is vulnerable in any way, as sadly lots are.

‘And it is absolutely not the way to get the best out of your soldiers, as the best instructors will tell you.’

Today, the Army said: ‘We set exacting standards in training and expect our soldiers to be resilient and robust.

‘But the behaviour of the instructor in the video is unacceptable and is under investigation.

‘It doesn’t reflect how the British Army trains, or how we treat our soldiers.’