Court martial over hoax pictures

A soldier will face a court martial over the fake Daily Mirror photographs which appeared to show British troops abusing an Iraqi, the Ministry of Defence said today.

Stuart MacKenzie, 25, was charged over the hoax, which damaged the Army and led to the departure of Mirror editor Piers Morgan.

A spokesman for the MoD said: "A trial is due to start on Monday at the court martial centre in Catterick, North Yorkshire."

The photographs made worldwide headlines in May after purportedly showing British soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) abusing hooded Iraqi detainees.

One picture showed a soldier apparently urinating on a victim as he cowered on the floor.

The newspaper later confirmed it had been hoaxed and printed a front-page apology with a pledge to donate money to charity.

In a message to its readers, it said: "We apologise for publishing pictures which we now believe were not genuine.

"We also say sorry to the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and our Army in Iraq for publishing those pictures."

Doubts about their authenticity were voiced by experts in the days following their publication and the MoD questioned at least one soldier in connection with the incident.

A Royal Military Police inquiry concluded that the type of lorry shown in the shots had never been used in Iraq and was reportedly identified as a lorry based at the Regimental HQ in Preston.

Mackenzie, from Haslingden, Lancashire, is in the Territorial Army but went to Iraq attached to the 1st Battalion, QLR. He works for the Inland Revenue.

His hearing will take place at the Court Martial Centre in Catterick.

He is expected to hear the charges brought against him by the Army Prosecuting Authority following a two-month investigation by the Royal Military Police.

Mackenzie can then enter a plea and the hearing is expected to be adjourned until a later date.