Four young women have told the BBC they were sexually abused and harassed at a British army training college. One of them said she was subjected to a gang rape by several junior soldiers over several hours.
The incidents took place over the past five years at the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, the women said. All were just 17 at the time. Speaking publicly for the first time, they described a “dangerous culture” of misogyny and sexual violence at the college.
An army spokesman described the reports as “extremely concerning and serious.” A BBC freedom-of-information request found that in the year to June, North Yorkshire Police received 16 sexual-offence allegations linked to the college, including indecent exposure, voyeurism and sexual assault. Whether anyone was punished over them was not disclosed.
According to defence ministry data, a total of 176 sexual-misconduct allegations were filed at the college from January 2018 to June 2025 — 32 against permanent staff and 144 against junior soldiers.
The AFC is the UK’s largest military training centre for those under 19. Of its 889 junior soldiers, 70 are currently women.
‘I felt like a piece of meat’
“Tilly,” who had dreamed of being a soldier since childhood, said her dream was shattered at the hands of fellow soldiers at the AFC. Describing that terrible day, she said: “They asked me if I would come to the room. As a naive 17-year-old girl, I agreed. Then they took off my clothes and began doing things I had not consented to.”
She said: “There were many people there. They were touching me everywhere and making crude comments. They called me an object rather than a girl. Then I was gang-raped… many junior soldiers of the same age did this. It went on for several hours. I felt like I was just a piece of meat.”
Tilly left the army two weeks after the incident. She said the police investigation was “completely inadequate,” so no perpetrator was punished. North Yorkshire Police later paid her financial compensation, though it did not directly admit liability.
A second woman, “Monica,” said a colleague trapped her in a room and sexually harassed her. “He stood in the doorway so that I couldn’t get out. He grabbed me and started touching various parts of my body,” she said.
Cheryl, the mother of a third victim, “Amy,” said her daughter faced sexual harassment almost every day. As the lock on her room door was broken, Amy would spend the night lying in front of the door so that no male soldier could get in. Cheryl said her daughter had been brought in on the promise of a “dream” that had turned into hell.
A fourth victim, “Ellie,” said the instructors’ behaviour influenced the teenagers. “In the very first week, an instructor told us it was all about girls’ bodies and how many you could seduce,” she said. Instructors would rate girls out of 10 on their looks and stand in the dormitory while girls were in their underwear, without permission.
Punishment and the legal reality
Over the past five years, several AFC instructors have been convicted in military courts. In 2023, Daniel Conway was jailed for seven years for raping a colleague, and Simon Bertram was given 20 months’ military detention for sexual assault.
Tilly alleged that the instructors themselves fuelled the misogyny. After the rape, one instructor called her “characterless.” Amy’s mother, Cheryl, described the same experience, saying her daughter was made to stand in a line and abused as “characterless” in front of everyone, because the instructors thought it was her fault for drawing the boys’ attention. “They forgot she was just a child,” she said.
Calls for an inquiry, and a wider crisis
Labour MP Emma Lewell called the situation appalling and demanded an immediate separate and independent inquiry. The army, however, said an inspection in January 2026 had rated the college’s safeguarding as “outstanding.”
These incidents are part of a long-running crisis for women in the British army. According to the 2021 Atherton Report, 66 percent of women in the armed forces face sexual harassment. The case of Royal Artillery gunner Jaysley Beck, who took her own life after being sexually harassed by a senior officer, was also recalled.
Now out of the army, Tilly is trying to rebuild her life. On the army’s claims of diversity and inclusion, she said: “If I ever have a daughter, I will never send her to the army.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. In the UK, contact the Samaritans on 116 123. In Bangladesh, call the national emergency service on 999, or Kaan Pete Roi on +880 9612-119911.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report