Anna Soubry MP



Legal proceedings against Ms Soubry

stoned 2 copy

During my military service in Afghanistan 2012 I was both formally punished and the target of orchestrated bullying for my reasoned and repeated refusal of an order to throw stones at Afghan children as a standard operating proceedure. In October 2013 I felt it my duty to report this to the commander of 42 NW Brigade, a Brigadier Friztgerald, but I made no formal complaint or claim. I had waited six-months after demobilising from the British army so that I would not be subject to military law when raising my concerns. In November 2013 Brigadier Fritzgerald gave me his strongest assurances that I would suffer no further repercussions. 

By April 2014 I had lost two jobs due to an informal army job reference system, operated by an old boys network comprising both still serving and retired British army soldiers. I believe I was given the most damning of references for a soldier, I wouldn’t want to got to War with him, because of my refusal to throw stones at children - an order that appeared to be an 'initiation right’ within my Platoon.

My first contact with Ms. Soubry  on this matter was via my MP Mr. Brady after I was told that as my consituency MP he would raise the matter on my behalf. After a lot of chasing by myself and EIGHT months later, in January 2015, I got a reply from Ms. Soubry MP (the minister for veterans) stating that she had no control over, or responsibility to control any such informal referencing system. In April 2015 Ms. Soubry claimed that stone throwing was not an endorsed British army policy. This official British army blog entry proves otherwise:


I have requested copies of the correspondence on this matter between Mr. Brady and Ms. Soubry but this request has been refused or ignored at every approach. Having since sought and received professional advice I am now starting proceedings to force Mr. Brady to share the requested correspondence and I shall submit this evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of their investigation in to War crimes committed by all sides in the Afghan conflict. For the matter to come under the ICC’s jurisdiction it must be shown that the accused nation is incapable of investigating itself. I believe I will be able to prove obstruction by Mr. Brady and Ms. Soubry MPs in failing to investigate of my original and ongoing punishment for refusing an illegal order.

Truly, for some of us nothing is written, unless we write it 
© Anthony C Heaford - The Quiet Mancunian