Colchester man accuses army of bullying culture
15 April 2019, 07:38 | Updated: 15 April 2019, 07:41
A dyslexic man from Colchester who served in the British Army claims they treated him so badly he almost took his own life.
Mark Holder believes he was bullied because of his dyslexia, and that there is a bullying and harassment culture in the armed forces.
"I really felt like taking my life because this is how I'm being treated," he said.
"I'm trying to speak up for other soldiers who are going through the same procedure as me - being bullied and harassed.
"I'm getting contacted every day by some people who are still serving and scared to speak out about this, because they're being bullied.
"The service complaints procedure is a long-winded procedure in which the person who complains never gets justice for what they're complaning about," he added.
An spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: "Bullying and harassment have no place in the Armed Forces and will not be tolerated. All allegations are taken very seriously and will be thoroughly investigated.
"We are committed to further improving the complaints system, and the Defence Secretary has commissioned a new review into the Armed Forces' values and standards, which will include inappropriate behaviour across the services."
