A British soldier pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of inhumanely treating Iraqi civilians while he and his comrades denied all other charges in a landmark court martial.

Corporal Donald Payne still faces trial on the more serious charge of manslaughter as well as obstructing justice in the death of Baha Mousa. The 26-year-old hotel worker died on September 15, 2003, at a British military base in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

In his opening statement, prosecutor Julian Bevan said the detainees were "repeatedly beaten, kicked and punched when handcuffed and hooded ... made to maintain a stress position for an unacceptable length of time, deprived of sleep, continually shouted at and generally abused."

He told the court martial that a post-mortem examination of Mousa's body revealed 93 different injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose.

Mousa and other detainees were arrested and allegedly assaulted repeatedly between September 13 and 15 of that year, the Defence Ministry said. The detainees were in the custody of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, which is now part of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

The court martial is being held at a military base in Bulford, about 135 kilometres southwest of London.

Lance Corporal Wayne Ashley and Private Darren Trevor Fallon were also charged with treating detainees inhumanely.

Sergeant Kelvin Lee Stacey was charged with assault causing bodily harm.

Three officers, including the commanding officer of the regiment, were charged with negligently performing a duty.

In May 2004, the government paid US$3,000 in compensation to Mousa's family.

Source: China Daily