A military court issued a formal reprimand to a’strict’ King’s Guard unit accused of abusing adolescent Army recruits.
At the Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire, Lance Sergeant Ryan Harley, 36, was cleared of four counts of ill-treatment but guilty to two counts of improperly performing a job.
He was accused of mistreating a cadet after he was discovered wearing a woolly hat under his helmet while working as an instructor at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, which has been the subject of numerous allegations of mistreatment.
Signalman Lennox Clancy, who was 17 years old at the time, was disciplined by LSgt Harley for wearing the headgear and was told to “leopard crawl” around a track. This involves moving on your stomach in a manner similar to the animal. Nonetheless, LSgt Harley accused him of performing the incorrect maneuver.
Lance Sergeant Ryan Harley was accused of mistreating one cadet when a woolly cap was discovered underneath his helmet.
Signaller Lennox Clancy, a 17-year-old cadet at the time, said in court that he was forced to leopard crawl over an 80-100 meter jogging track.
Lieutenant Jamie Brotherton, prosecuting counsel, previously told Bulford Military Court that LSgt Harley was “prone to anger outbursts” and that his penalties went “well beyond what was expected.”
The court martial was informed by LSgt. Harley that he was only trying to get the most out of his recruits. While admitting he should not have administered the punishment, he expressed worry about Signalman Clancy’s health.
He said in court, ‘I saw Clancy wearing (the woolly cap). He may succumb to a heat injury. It was a matter of duty.
Signaller Clancy asserted that LSgt Harley “grabbed him by the neck” and yelled at him for performing a “monkey crawl” on all fours; however, LSgt Harley stated that this did not occur. He also denied kicking two female trainees and one male cadet, who were all under the age of 18 at the time.
At the Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire, LSgt Harley was cleared of four accusations of ill-treatment but acknowledged to two of improperly performing a duty
LSgt Harley, who has served in the training wing of the Irish Guards since November 2021 and was just granted the Brigade Commander’s Coin, stated before the court: ‘I was always in control.’ I believe I conducted myself professionally at all times.
However, the section commander confessed inviting recruits to “have a go” when he felt “frustrated” with them, but he said he was not asking the adolescents to fight but rather to motivate them.
“When I made those remarks, it was not maliciously,” he explained.
I employed reverse psychology. I am tough but fair. I was not hostile. I’m a diligent individual. I want to help them achieve excellence. I have never been a bully in my entire life.
After a four-day trial, he was found not guilty of four counts of mistreatment of a subordinate.