devil666x

A soldier who refused to return to Afghanistan because he opposes the war has been jailed after admitting going absent without leave (Awol).

L/Cpl Joe Glenton, 27, from York, joined the Army in 2004 but absconded in 2007 after serving with the Royal Logistic Corps in Afghanistan.

He handed himself in after two years and six days' absence.
Glenton, based in Oxfordshire, was jailed for nine months in Colchester and reduced to the rank of private.
The court martial was told that Glenton, who later campaigned against the conflict, was discovered to be absent on 11 June 2007, when he was due to return to Dalton Barracks in Abingdon.

He returned to barracks 737 days later on 16 June 2009, when he was charged.
During that time Glenton went to south-east Asia and Australia.
He had previously performed a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.
When he returned he was ordered to go back to the conflict zone.

Nick Wrack, in mitigation, told the court martial that this was nine months after his previous tour had finished, even though military guidelines suggest soldiers should not be deployed again within 18 months.
Mr Wrack said Glenton had suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his first tour of duty.

'Coward and malingerer'
He told the court that when Glenton raised concerns about going back he suffered bullying.
"When he first raised with his staff sergeant his reluctance to be deployed again, instead of being dealt with in a sensible way, it resulted in the sergeant at the time bullying and intimidating L/Cpl Glenton," he said.
"He was called a coward and a malingerer.

"When this information was brought to his commanding officer, the sergeant was spoken to, but this reinforced the bullying."
Consultant psychiatrist Lars Davidsson told the court Glenton may have reacted the way he did because of PTSD.
Glenton took part in an anti-war protest in October last year.

After the hearing a spokesman for the Stop the War Coalition said: "Joe Glenton is not the person who should be facing a jail sentence.

"It should be the politicians who have led us into disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
His mother, Sue Glenton, said: "I am extremely angry. The court barely paid lip service to justice.
"The judge clearly didn't listen to the arguments or if she did she ignored them. The lawyers are considering an appeal.
"The Ministry of Defence will be hearing a lot more from me."


Source: BBC News 05/03/2010 - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8551245.stm

Rodbouy

As much as I feel sorry for him, he signed up to the army and their rules.

You cant just pick and choose what war you feel like fighting in.

thebigman

Got to agree with that, you join up you go where you're ordered. I'd have thought that would be obvious.

thebigman

thebigyin

he new what he was getting himself in for when he joined with the rules but i can understand with the bullying as it would be a sad lonely place stuck on your own with higher ranks against you ,but i suppose that what makes boys become men if he stuck it out it would of made him a stronger man

Thommohawk

i disagree you sign up to fight for queen and country, our country is under no threat and its quite obvious now its a joke war on terrorism. (dont post back with terrorist bs or i will laugh in your face).

i wouldnt risk my life either for a cause like this, i would however if it was needed as a threat to us as a country, if you ask me we need more forces in this country to sort the enemy within rather than fight a bogus war abroad.

rules are made to be broken and everyone does in any walk of life so to say he knew what he was getting into is an absurd comment.

its nothing to do with being a coward its a choice he made probably on morals.

i too wouldnt fight a fake war,

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ephid0r

i wouldnt fight over there for a meaningless war

to think i am risking my life and the money i earn is being taxed and given to the very people i am fighting against regarding housing benefit etc

half of the taliban have british passports and receiving benefits

and if u think i am full of shite then why are we still raiding houses in the UK and have setup police CT units

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Rodbouy

So do you go to work and decide, Na I dont like or agree with that so I am not going to do it?


Soldiers are paid to be trained to go to war where ever you Country sends you.

I wonder why he signed up in the 1st place and probably a good few others. To see the world.

You think they signed up to serve Queen and Country. Lot of pish.

There is probably a fair amount of guys on the front line who might not agree with why they are there, but they do the job that they are paid to do and look out for each other.

Lets face it, the afgan war has more of a reason that the Iraq war.

Hats off to all the armed forces on the front line they are a brave lot.

Thommohawk

err yes...

if it put my life in danger or i thought it was wrong!

its nothing to do with "liking" it or not.

if i didnt like it i wouldnt do it and if that ended in dismissal then so be it and i'd find a new job,

thing is you dont get jailed for refusing "normal" work.


your comparison to this case doesnt fit.

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Rodbouy

What do you think the army is? Of course your going to put your life in danger FFS.


Next it will be half way through a gun fight. "whoa time out, I cut my finger. Can I go back home now?"

So if half the army decided no this is wrong based on what they think, you wouldnt have a army.

Hence the reason the army does not decide if its right or wrong. They do the job in hand.

thebigman

If you don't want to go to war you don't join the army. It isn't a normal job, you can't just decide I don't agree with the politics so I'm not going. As has been said there are probarbly lots of guys over there who don't agree with it but they are getting on with what they have been sent to do because thats what being in the army entails. He knew what would happen if he went AWOL. He made his choice.



thebigman