British Paratroopers' Deployment to Balkans Scrapped Over Video of 'Orgy' at UK Base

© AP Photo / Kirsty O'ConnorParas during a ceremony, attended by Britain's Prince Charles, to present new colours to the Parachute Regiment at Merville Barracks in Colchester, England, Tuesday July 13, 2021.
Paras during a ceremony, attended by Britain's Prince Charles, to present new colours to the Parachute Regiment at Merville Barracks in Colchester, England, Tuesday July 13, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 18.06.2022
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The paratroopers featured in the video have been placed under police investigation, and the colonel commandant of the Parachute Regiment reportedly stated in a letter that their unit has been removed from "the roster to deploy to Kosovo this summer".
The deployment of some 300 UK paratroopers to the Balkans ended up being cancelled after a certain video depicting several servicemen engaged in an orgy has emerged, Sky News reports.
The footage in question apparently depicts eight paratroopers having sex with a civilian woman, with the act reportedly taking place at the Merville Barracks in Essex.
In the wake of this development, Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison, the colonel commandant of the Parachute Regiment, declared in a letter that General Sir Patrick Sanders had "temporarily lost trust" in the 3rd battalion of the regiment, the media outlet notes.
"This afternoon the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), General Sir Patrick Sanders, took the decision to remove 3 Para off the roster to deploy to Kosovo this summer," the letter states. "3 Para has an extraordinary operational reputation in the service of our nation, and every member of it will be devastated by the lost opportunity to serve on operations once again in the Balkans."
He added that the decision was "based on recent disciplinary incidents on Exercise Swift Response, and in Merville Barracks, the latter which has been in the public domain over the last few weeks", and that the "3 Para accept they have temporarily lost the trust of CGS".
While the eight paratroopers who were filmed engaging in the sex act in question were placed under police investigation, Sir Patrick himself reportedly wrote in a letter that the behavior seen in the video was found to be consensual, and that the Royal Military Police determined that no crime had been committed, the media outlet notes.
He did state, however, that said behavior is "unacceptable, corrosive and detrimental to the Army's reputation”, and that it “could also be construed to denigrate women".
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