Number of British Armed Forces accused of flashing surges 300% in a year
The revelation has reportedly sparked concern among senior officers
The number of British troops accused of being flashers and peeping Toms has surged by 300 percent in a year, an investigation has revealed.
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Up to 33 male suspects allegedly preyed on their female victims last year, including other members of the Armed Forces, military wives and civilian women.
That's up 300 percent from the 11 cases recorded in 2023.
Meanwhile, three women were also accused of flashing, an analysis Ministry of Defence figures has shown.
The revelation has reportedly sparked concern among senior officers, according to the Daily Star Sunday, and it comes a series of sex scandals reportedly rocking the British Army.
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Colonel Philip Ingram, a former Army intelligence officer, told the paper: “This shocking increase in troops being investigated for voyeurism and exposure shows the worrying trend in sex related offences across the board, voyeurism is one step away from assault and rape and it is clear that military.
“People who commit these crimes are a danger to their colleagues.”
Earlier this week, it emerged that Wiltshire Police opened an investigation into claims military medical examiners sexually assaulted new recruits during routine enlistment checks between 1970 and 2016.
This would mark the largest military sex abuse scandal in British history if the allegations are proven true.
Detective Superintendent Darren Hannant, leading the inquiry, said: “We are yet to identify suspects. The investigation is in its early stages.”
Louise Sandher-Jones, the veterans minister, described the reports as "painful and truly appalling”, adding that all members of the Armed Forces “must be able to serve free from abuse, and with the dignity and respect they deserve”.
Lieutenant General David Eastman, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, said the Army was “alarmed to learn that for some of our people, their first experiences of military life may have seen them subjected to such unacceptable behaviours”.
It comes after a coroner found that institutional failures contributed to the death of Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck.
She was found hanged in her Wiltshire barracks in 2021 after being sexually assaulted by another officer.
The Army later apologised for “letting her down”.