Testimony Paints England As Disobedient
By ALLEN G. BREED, Associated Press Writer
FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Prosecution witnesses Wednesday portrayed Pfc. Lynndie England as a promiscuous soldier who repeatedly disobeyed orders not to visit a boyfriend in a part of an Iraqi prison where detainees were abused.
Pfc. England is NOT the hot one
Spc. Matthew Bolinger, her direct supervisor at Abu Ghraib prison, said England even sneaked out once when she was supposed to be confined to bed with a back injury. He said the late-night trysts were hurting the 21-year-old Army reservist's performance at her day job handling prison paperwork.
"She was sneaking out in the middle of the night, going down to the hard site prison. She wasn't getting enough sleep," Bolinger testified in a military pretrial hearing, adding England had trouble showing up on time and "her performance was not so good."
Bolinger said England was "counseled" four times between July 2003 and January 2004 after being caught in bed with Spc. Charles A. Graner Jr., another soldier in England's unit who has been charged in the sweeping prisoner abuse case and is the father of the child England is now carrying.
At one point in late November, he said, England was ordered not to leave her quarters unescorted except for work, church, the latrine or meals.
The Article 32 hearing, expected to last through the week, will determine whether a court-martial goes forward against England on 13 counts of abusing detainees and six counts stemming from possession of sexually explicit photos. The maximum possible sentence is 38 years in prison.
Prosecutors have sought to paint a picture of England as one of a handful of out-of-control reservists who took it upon themselves to photograph prisoners in humiliating poses, just for the fun of it.
The testimony has contradicted defense claims England participated in the humiliation on orders from higher-ups to "loosen up" detainees for interrogators.
Some of the photos, which have made England infamous in the Arab world, showed her smiling, pointing and giving the thumbs-up at a naked prisoner's genitals. In one shot, she is holding a kneeling, naked detainee by a leash.
Spc. Matthew Wisdom testified England appeared to be a willing participant in the humiliation, describing one instance when England provided the lewd commentary as guards forced two Iraqi prisoners to engage in a sex act.
Both Bolinger and Wisdom testified by phone from Fort Lee, Va., where the 372nd Military Police Company is being stationed before returning to its home base of Cresaptown, Md.
England, from Fort Ashby, W.Va., is one of seven reservists from the 372nd who have been charged in the scandal.
England sat stone-faced in the courtroom as comrades testified she posed nude for pictures and skinny-dipped on a Virginia beach with Graner during a pre-deployment leave last year. An investigator testified earlier another shot in the same sequence showed England engaged in "oral sodomy" with a soldier.
Spc. Steve Strother testified he was passed out drunk in a hotel when England posed with her exposed breasts near his face. When a prosecutor asked about the photograph, he replied: "It was just a joke, ma'am."
Such images have become a key part of the hearing because the charges involving sex and sexually explicit photos not involving prisoners account for 22 of the 38 years England potentially faces.
During cross-examination, defense attorneys attempted to show others were engaged in similar activities, but have not been charged. Bolinger acknowledged he was aware of another relationship at the prison, but no action was taken.
By ALLEN G. BREED, Associated Press Writer
FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Prosecution witnesses Wednesday portrayed Pfc. Lynndie England as a promiscuous soldier who repeatedly disobeyed orders not to visit a boyfriend in a part of an Iraqi prison where detainees were abused.
Pfc. England is NOT the hot one
Spc. Matthew Bolinger, her direct supervisor at Abu Ghraib prison, said England even sneaked out once when she was supposed to be confined to bed with a back injury. He said the late-night trysts were hurting the 21-year-old Army reservist's performance at her day job handling prison paperwork.
"She was sneaking out in the middle of the night, going down to the hard site prison. She wasn't getting enough sleep," Bolinger testified in a military pretrial hearing, adding England had trouble showing up on time and "her performance was not so good."
Bolinger said England was "counseled" four times between July 2003 and January 2004 after being caught in bed with Spc. Charles A. Graner Jr., another soldier in England's unit who has been charged in the sweeping prisoner abuse case and is the father of the child England is now carrying.
At one point in late November, he said, England was ordered not to leave her quarters unescorted except for work, church, the latrine or meals.
The Article 32 hearing, expected to last through the week, will determine whether a court-martial goes forward against England on 13 counts of abusing detainees and six counts stemming from possession of sexually explicit photos. The maximum possible sentence is 38 years in prison.
Prosecutors have sought to paint a picture of England as one of a handful of out-of-control reservists who took it upon themselves to photograph prisoners in humiliating poses, just for the fun of it.
The testimony has contradicted defense claims England participated in the humiliation on orders from higher-ups to "loosen up" detainees for interrogators.
Some of the photos, which have made England infamous in the Arab world, showed her smiling, pointing and giving the thumbs-up at a naked prisoner's genitals. In one shot, she is holding a kneeling, naked detainee by a leash.
Spc. Matthew Wisdom testified England appeared to be a willing participant in the humiliation, describing one instance when England provided the lewd commentary as guards forced two Iraqi prisoners to engage in a sex act.
Both Bolinger and Wisdom testified by phone from Fort Lee, Va., where the 372nd Military Police Company is being stationed before returning to its home base of Cresaptown, Md.
England, from Fort Ashby, W.Va., is one of seven reservists from the 372nd who have been charged in the scandal.
England sat stone-faced in the courtroom as comrades testified she posed nude for pictures and skinny-dipped on a Virginia beach with Graner during a pre-deployment leave last year. An investigator testified earlier another shot in the same sequence showed England engaged in "oral sodomy" with a soldier.
Spc. Steve Strother testified he was passed out drunk in a hotel when England posed with her exposed breasts near his face. When a prosecutor asked about the photograph, he replied: "It was just a joke, ma'am."
Such images have become a key part of the hearing because the charges involving sex and sexually explicit photos not involving prisoners account for 22 of the 38 years England potentially faces.
During cross-examination, defense attorneys attempted to show others were engaged in similar activities, but have not been charged. Bolinger acknowledged he was aware of another relationship at the prison, but no action was taken.
