Sandhurst cadets investigated by military police after 'waterboarding' fellow recruit

Military police are investigating bullying at Sandhurst after two recruits allegedly subjected another trainee officer to waterboarding.

The Sandhurst cadets are said to have held down an individual, covered his face with a cloth and poured water over it, creating the sensation of drowning, according to a report in The Sun. 

The alleged waterboarding incident occurred at the prestigious establishment on August 7. 

Deputy Commandant of the Royal Military Academy in Berkshire, Brigadier Bill Wright, said he was "aware of the allegations".

“I have ordered an investigation by the Royal Military Police (RMP)," he said.

“The Army and I expect the highest standards of behaviour at Sandhurst; anyone found to have fallen short is dealt with robustly, including dismissal, if appropriate.”

The Telegraph understands that the incident did not take place during training. The cadets involved are understood to be in the same all-male platoon and no instructors were involved. The swift involvement of the RMP suggests the army is treating it as a serious incident. 

Waterboarding was used as an interrogation process by the CIA, after the attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. It was banned as an interrogation technique in 2009 by then US President Barack Obama.

The military still conducts resistance to interrogation training to prepare soldiers for the mental and physical rigours to be expected if they ever fell into enemy hands. Waterboarding has never been included in such training and its use is banned in the British armed forces. Other techniques, such as placing a hood over a captive's face and the use of extreme stress positions, have also been outlawed in recent years.  

All British Army officers are trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhust on a year-long commissioning course. Both the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex are former graduates, with Prince Harry saying that although he felt he had been "treated like dirt", he had enjoyed the experience.

Prince Harry returned to the academy in 2016 to represent the Queen at the commissioning parade. 

As head of the army three years ago, the current Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, introduced a new code of conduct to eradicate any forms of bullying and harassment. Speaking at the time he said: "I'm not arguing for political correctness, what I'm arguing for is to live by our values and standards and to accept everyone in an inclusive way".

"I think there is a risk we will lose sight of our ultimate goal, which is to close with and kill the Queen's enemies, and we have to have that at the forefront of our mind, but equally we cannot accept unacceptable behaviour."