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Anne-Marie was found hanged in her barracks in Bulford, Wiltshire, three days after her 30th birthday in 2011. She said she had been ostracised and bullied following her accusation that two RMP comrades had sexually assaulted her. A fresh inquest into her death has already been secured and will commence early next year. But now the Royal Air Force (RAF) Police has also confirmed that it will conduct a new inquiry into Anne-Marie’s alleged rape – alongside civilian officers from Bedfordshire Police. 

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has previously claimed that the original investigation into Anne-Marie’s accusations conformed to “service standards”. But Liberty asked that it be reopened after it emerged that the investigation had been severely lacking in many ways. Important forensic tests were not carried out, medical evidence was overlooked and there was an alarming lack of expertise. Most fundamentally of all, the inquiry was not independent – it was the RMP investigating the RMP. Article 3 of the Human Rights Act, no inhuman or degrading treatment, required a competent and independent investigation – the original RMP inquiry fell far short of those standards.

Liberty, acting for Anne-Marie’s sisters Sharon Hardy and Khristina Swain, demanded that a fresh investigation be conducted by service police from another branch of the military, in conjunction with civilian police specialising in sex crimes. Following Liberty’s threat of Judicial Review, the MoD has agreed and referred the matter to the RAF Police and Bedfordshire Police.

Emma Norton, Liberty’s lawyer who is representing Anne-Marie’s sisters, said: “Whether soldier or civilian, your fundamental rights and freedoms deserve the same protection. This case was rotten from start to finish and as long as the military is allowed to continue investigating itself, it will not be the last. Only independent oversight of military investigations and greater civilian involvement will help ensure this never happens again.”

Sharon Hardy said: “Anne-Marie tried to seek justice on her own – sadly she never accomplished her fight and ended up taking her own life. Since her death we’ve learned of very serious failings within the original investigation – the lack of independence, properly-trained staff and basic common sense made for a shambolic, failed inquiry which left our family outraged and extremely let down. We’re delighted that the MoD has now agreed to a fresh investigation and we have every confidence in the newly-appointed police forces.”

Khristina Swain added: “The news that the case will be reinvestigated is overwhelming and very emotional. If only this could have happened when Anne-Marie was still alive, she might still be with us now.”

The news comes as Liberty launches “Military Justice” – its new campaign to protect and uphold the human rights of those in our Armed Forces. Liberty believes the rights of service men and women are just as deserving of protection as civilians. Liberty is asking for three things to make this happen:

1) That sexual assault allegations be automatically referred for investigation by the service police and Director of Service Prosecutions. At the moment this does not happen – sexual assault, and certain other sexual offences, are excluded from the list of crimes which must be referred by a commanding officer to the police for investigation.

2) That the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) provide independent oversight of all of the service police forces – the Royal Navy Police, RMP and RAF Police.

3) The creation of an Independent Armed Forces Ombudsman who can independently review individual cases and make recommendations for further action.

Contact: Liberty Press Office on 020 7378 3656 or 07973 831128

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. Find out even more about "Military Justice", Liberty's new campaign to protect and uphold the human rights of those in our Armed Forces.