Libyan Soldiers Accused Of Cambridge Rape To Appear In Court

11 November 2014, 05:50 | Updated: 11 November 2014, 05:52

Two Libyan soldiers accused of raping a man while stationed at Bassingbourn Barracks will appear in court today.

Moktar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abogutila, 22, were arrested earlier this month over the alleged offence in Cambridge.

They are yet to enter pleas to the charge that they raped a man in his 20s on Christ's Pieces in the city on October 26.

The men were arrested while undergoing training at Bassingbourn Barracks in Cambridgeshire. They will appear at Cambridge Crown Court.

It came after three other Libyan soldiers were charged in connection with unrelated sex offences while also based at Bassingbourn.

The arrests coincided with other concerns over the conduct of Libyan cadets training at the base and prompted the Ministry of Defence to prematurely send 300 soldiers back to their home country.

It threw into doubt an agreement to put 2,000 soldiers through basic infantry and junior command training at Bassingbourn.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was reviewing whether Libyans could continue to train in the UK following ``disciplinary issues''.

The agreement was part of a pledge to support Libya's effort to improve security following the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011.

Mahmoud and Abogutila have been remanded in custody.