§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases involving soldiers sentenced by non-military courts to terms of imprisonment have been disposed of under the provisions of section 70 of the Army Act 1955 for each year between 1988 and 1998 indicating(a) the court which dealt with the offence, (b) the nature of the offence, (c) the sentence and (d) whether the convicted person was discharged from the Army. [74428]
§ Mr. Doug Henderson[holding answer 5 March 1999]: No Army personnel have been convicted by civil courts under Section 70 of the Army Act 1955, as this provides for soldiers to be dealt with by military court-martial or summary dealing only. A number of soldiers have, however, been convicted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment by the civil courts but detailed information relating to such cases is not held centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost. Section 134(1) of the Army Act prohibits a soldier from being tried by a court-martial or dealt summarily by his Commanding Officer for an offence, or substantially the same offence, of which he has been convicted in a civil court.