Two army instructors jailed over sexual relations with 17-year-old recruit

Two Army instructors were jailed and dismissed from the military after having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old soldier.

Senior Sergeant Antony Pugh, 36, and Sergeant Connor Forgan, 32, were found to have separately engaged in sexual intercourse with the trainee, whose identity is protected for legal reasons.

The duo, who were instructors at the infantry training center in North Yorkshire, reportedly boasted about their behavior. His actions were revealed during a court-martial held in Bulford, Wiltshire.

Both denied the accusation of sexual intercourse with the child by a trusted person, but were convicted by a military court after a trial last year.

The court heard Pugh, a member of the Grenadier Guards, and Forgan, who served in the Welsh Guards, were veterans of the conflict in Afghanistan.

Prosecutor Commander Edward Hannah told the court: “He has chosen not to give the victim’s personal statement and wishes to waive these matters.”

Commander Hannah said both defendants displayed a level of planning when committing the crimes and were in positions of trust due to their rank.

“The hierarchical structure of the military places power in rank, especially in training facilities,” he said.

The court heard the recruit had to undergo STD and pregnancy tests after having sex with Pugh and also suffered an internal injury during the encounter.

Pugh and Forgan also shared sexually explicit messages about the teenager after sleeping with her.

“The messages between the defendants were derogatory and degrading,” Commander Hannah said.

Rachel Beckett, defending Pugh, asked the court to give the father of two a suspended prison sentence.

“There is a realistic expectation of rehabilitation in society and the pre-sentence report supports this conclusion,” he said.

“He is in a relationship with his partner of 8 years and is supporting her in court today.

“He has two children and his family lives in service housing, which will be lost with the dismissal.

“The dismissal will have a significant impact not only on L/Sgt Pugh but also on his dependent family.”

Defending Forgan, Beverley Cripps said she accepted the messages she shared with Pugh were “embarrassing and rude”.

“The references in court show that he has a good career ahead of him and is an exemplary person,” he said.

“I ask that you consider his very impressive record of service.”

Delivering sentence, Deputy Judge Advocate Jane England said: “There were rules in place at ITC Catterick to protect both trainees and instructors.

“It was also a rule that there was no brotherhood between teachers and recruits.

“Any communication was expected to be professional, but you both engaged in unprofessional communication that quickly turned sexual.”

Referring to the messages shared by the defendants, the judge said: “You both talked about him in a shameful, immoral and misogynistic way.

“He was a 17-year-old kid and he didn’t deserve this.”

The judge said the crime for which they were convicted existed to protect children from “being neglected and exploited” by the authorities over them.

“There is such an imbalance of power in these types of relationships that it is difficult for any child or young person to resist the intentions of the responsible adult in the relationship,” he said.

“The imbalance of power within the services is worsening and service personnel are being taught to obey the orders of senior managers.

“In a training environment like this, instructors set the tone for the rest of the hire’s career.

“Instructors are looked at as role models, mentors, and their importance is often raised in the minds.

“Instructors may be the first positive role model some recruits ever have.

“It is not uncommon to hear soldiers refer to their instructors as God – not in a religious sense, but in their minds, representing someone who is very powerful and embodies all that is good about their armed forces.

“Instructors, for their part, hold the careers of their recruits as part of the decision-making process as to whether the hire gets the grade from the instructors.

“For these reasons, we believe that abuse of trust is more prevalent in our forces than in many other situations.

“Both of them, in their own ways, preyed on a defenseless young recruit, a child.

“As instructors, you knew very well where the line was, and you both willingly crossed that line for your own sexual interests.”

Pugh was sentenced to 20 months in prison, while Forgan was sentenced to 16 months and both were demoted and discharged from the Army.

Both were placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.