Army ‘bans punishment beastings’ after soldier’s death

This is not the Onion…but it’s enough to make one cry:

Soldiers will no longer be shouted at or made to do more than 10 press-ups as a punishment, it has been claimed.

Army “beastings” – informal punishments which often take the form of excessive physical exercise – have reportedly been banned, with new rules limiting the amount of exercise soldiers will be told to do as a penalty.

The alleged changes, which were apparently reported in a disciplinary procedures document, comes after the British Army apologised to the family of Pte Gavin Williams, who died after a “beasting” at his Wiltshire barracks in July 2006.

An inquest at the end of last year was told Pte Williams died after being forced to do intensive exercise for “setting off a fire extinguisher”, turning up for duty drunk and being inappropriately dressed.

The inquest heard he died from a combination of heat exhaustion and exertion. He had also taken ecstasy a few days beforehand.

Witnesses reported seeing Pte Williams exhausted following the “beasting”, which included lifting weights and undertaking a gym session with a physical training instructor.

The coroner later found the punishment was “unlawful and unauthorised”. Pte William’s mother condemned the Army and said her son’s treatment had been “inhuman”.

Under the new rules, which were reported in the Sun on Sunday, soldiers will allegedly only face a 200 metre run or less than one minute of exercise.

At the Army’s training centre in Catterick, North Yorkshire, out-of-hours inspections and swearing at recruits has also reportedly been banned, while instructors will not be allowed to shout in people’s faces. Soldiers will also be allowed to use their mobile phones without fear of having them confiscated or banned, it was claimed.