A file photo showing Larkin standing on an Iraqi detainee and corporal Daniel Kenyon taking a photograph in the rear.

OSNABRUECK, Germany, February 24, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Britain has convicted two soldiers of abusing Iraqi detainees, in a case that has drawn echoes to the US abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.

The Pentagon, however, said a US marine, captured on film killing a wounded Iraqi at point blank could not be formally charged for alleged lack of evidence.

At the end of a 20-month investigation and five-week court martial, British Corporal Daniel Kenyon was found guilty of failing to report that men under his command had forced prisoners to simulate sex acts, but was cleared of helping stage the photos.

“We know that he knew that two Iraqis were stripped naked and simulating oral sex while others (soldiers) were there and laughing,” Judge Michael Hunter was quoted by Reuters as telling the court while summing up the evidence Wednesday, February 23.

Lance-Corporal Mark Cooley was convicted of suspending a trussed up man from the prongs of a forklift truck and driving him around. Kenyon was convicted of failing to report that incident as well.

Cooley was also convicted of simulating punching a detainee.

Earlier in the trial another soldier, Lance Corporal Darren Larkin, pleaded guilty to assault for stamping on a detainee.

All three are members of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and the incidents all took place during an operation against looters near the city of Basra in southern Iraq in May 2003.

Cooley and Kenyon could each face up to two years in prison, and Larkin faces up to six months. Sentencing is due Friday, February 25.

Sexual Abuse

Britain convicted two soldiers on Wednesday for abusing Iraqi detainees.

But prosecutors failed to bring anyone to book for the worst abuse they uncovered, posing some of the detainees in simulated sex acts for trophy photos that caused worldwide outrage.

The photos came to light when Fusilier Gary Bartlam returned to Britain and handed them to a commercial photo shop to be developed, causing lab workers to alert the authorities.

When they were released to the media during the trial, Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was shocked and appalled, prompting the defense team to argue that the proceedings were a mistrial.

Judge Advocate Michael Hunter allowed the media Wednesday to report for the first time that Bartlam had pleaded guilty to taking the pictures and aiding in the forklift incident. He received an 18-month sentence at an earlier trial.

But prosecutors were forced by lack of evidence to drop indecent conduct charges against Larkin for ordering detainees to strip naked.

Bartlam testified that Kenyon was present when the men were forced to simulate oral and anal sex. But there was no other evidence Kenyon was there, and the jury of seven officers cleared Kenyon of charges of indecent conduct.

The sexual abuse photos were remarkably similar to some taken more than six months earlier by US troops at Abu Ghraib prison, which led to congressional hearings in the United States and convictions of several prison guards.

The Times also reported Wednesday that as many as 11 more British soldiers could face court martial over the case of a fatal beating of an Iraqi civilian and other instances of abuse.

The defense ministry in London confirmed that army prosecutors were considering nine cases, three of them which involved alleged abuse.

Britain 's military says it has investigated more than 160 cases of deaths, injuries or alleged mistreatment of civilians in Iraq and referred five case to military prosecutors.

One case of excessive force in a fatal shooting is being tried in civilian criminal court after the military did not press charges. Some Iraqis have also brought civil cases claiming damages for alleged mistreatment.

No Evidence

In a separate-related development, a US marine, captured on film killing a wounded Iraqi prisoner at point blank range during November's assault on Fallujah, will not be formally charged due to lack of evidence, according to a report Wednesday on CBS News.

The November 13 shooting occurred during a search of a mosque in a widely broadcast incident that sparked worldwide outrage and was described by the International Committee of the Red Cross as a demonstration of “utter contempt for humanity.”

In the incident, a trooper raised his rifle and shot point blank at an apparently unarmed, wounded Iraqi who was slumped against one of the mosque walls, in footage captured by an embedded cameraman working for the NBC network.

The rifleman was withdrawn from combat pending the results of the investigation, but the graphic footage enraged many.

CBS News said Wednesday it had learned that military investigators had concluded insufficient evidence existed to formally charge the marine.

Major General Donald Ryder, Army law enforcement policy chief, told a briefing on Wednesday that Army has conducted more than 300 criminal investigations into allegations of detainee abuse by US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan .