Bassingbourn Report - Make It Public By Christmas

3 December 2014, 14:18 | Updated: 3 December 2014, 14:21

The MoD has been told to make initial findings into the circumstances around the alleged Libyan cadet assaults in Cambridge to be made public by Christmas.

Talks were held on Monday between Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and the Ministry of Defence.

The discussions were a part of the MoD review initiated by the Prime Minister into the circumstances behind the recent alleged assaults in Cambridge by Libyan cadet soldiers.

Earlier this month Cambridge City Council received a letter from the army apologising for the seriousness of the events which occurred in Cambridge.

This followed an earlier letter from Cllr Lewis Herbert, Leader of Cambridge City Council, to the Prime Minister in which he raised questions about the incidents and about the absence of communication from the MoD with the council.

Cllr Herbert also called on the Prime Minister to set up an independent inquiry to ensure that questions from the council and residents, and potentially victims of the alleged serious attacks, would get full and public answers. The council also wrote to the commanding officer at Bassingbourn barracks.

Cllr Herbert said:

"We had a constructive discussion about the issues and the review that is being carried out by the Ministry of Defence. 

Leading councillors from the three councils, and local councillors for the areas worst affected, left the review team in no doubt about who we hold responsible for the serious events that occurred and the failure to respond to obvious risks and clear warning signals.

The three councils will be following up with a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Defence, including asking for the review’s initial report to be made public at Christmas.

The city council says again that an independent inquiry to ensure that questions from the council, residents and also, potentially, from victims of the alleged serious attacks, is the only way the whole truth will come out.

It is the only way that those who suffered dreadful attacks, and our local residents, will obtain the answers from the Ministry of Defence they are fully entitled to."