Five paratroopers who fired pistols at photo of Jeremy Corbyn during target practice in Afghanistan are disciplined for falling short of Army’s ‘high standards’ but not sacked
- Soldiers and the person filming were reprimanded by officers, with two demoted
- Footage showing members of the Parachute Regiment sparked outrage in April
- Labour called video ‘unacceptable’ but one veteran dismissed it as a ‘silly stunt’
Five paratroopers who fired pistols at a photo of Jeremy Corbyn during target practice in Afghanistan have been disciplined but not sacked.
The soldiers and the person filming were reprimanded, with two demoted, after the Minister of Defence concluded their behaviour was ‘not fitting of the high standards we expect’.
Labour said the actions of the soldiers were ‘clearly unacceptable’ and hit out at a ‘culture of political violence’ whipped up by politicians and sections of the media.
British paratroopers were filmed in April using a picture of Jeremy Corbyn as target practice, pictured, in a video shared on Snapchat
The troops were filmed on Snapchat firing paintball rounds at the picture at a shooting range in Kabul, Afghanistan
An investigation was launched into the conduct of the personnel from 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment in April, after they were filmed in Kabul shooting at a picture of the Labour leader.
Four were filmed firing non-lethal practice rounds at a picture of the Labour leader at an indoor range.
The camera then pans to the giant colour picture of Mr Corbyn’s face scores with bullet holes.
The caption, ‘happy with that’, appeared on the Snapchat clip.
It sparked widespread outrage at the time, although Military Cross hero Trevor Coult dismissed their ‘tomfoolery’ as a ‘silly stunt’.
He told MailOnline at the time: ‘This is a training video that went wrong. The person who put this online has done it out of mischief, not spite.’
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘The Army has carried out a thorough investigation into this incident and has implemented disciplinary action against the individuals found guilty of misconduct.
‘This behaviour was not fitting of the high standards we expect of our personnel, and we are always prepared to take action when our procedures are not adhered to correctly.’
The camera zoomed in on the picture of Mr Corbyn to show several shots hit the target
Labour said: ‘This behaviour was clearly unacceptable and it is right that the Ministry of Defence has taken action.
‘A culture of political violence has been whipped up by some politicians and sections of the media, and has to stop.
‘Breaches of impartiality of public institutions are a matter of concern for our democracy.
‘Jeremy Corbyn has always said that disagreements in politics must be conducted in a respectful way.’
But ex-Colour Sergeant Trevor Coult, pictured, dismissed the video as a ‘silly stunt that backfired’