Teenage recruits allege rape, abuse at UK Army college

Dubai: Four women have accused a British Army training college for teenagers of fostering a culture of misogyny and sexual violence, with one alleging she was raped for hours by several fellow junior soldiers when she was 17.

The allegations, revealed by the BBC, have renewed scrutiny of safeguarding at the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate, Britain’s main training establishment for 16- and 17-year-old recruits.

The women, who attended the college over the past five years, said they were sexually assaulted or harassed while training there. Speaking publicly for the first time, they described an environment where abuse was normalised and female recruits were routinely demeaned.

One of the women, identified as Tilly, alleged she was lured into a room by fellow trainees before being sexually assaulted and raped by multiple junior soldiers.

“They started taking my clothes off... then this led to them doing stuff I didn’t consent to. There were a lot of them... I was raped by multiple junior soldiers, same age as me. It went on for hours. I felt like a piece of meat,” she told the BBC. She left the Army two weeks later.

Another former trainee, Monica, alleged a fellow soldier trapped her inside a room and sexually assaulted her, while a third woman, Amy, allegedly endured repeated harassment to the extent that she slept across her bedroom door because the lock was broken and she feared male soldiers entering. A fourth woman, Ellie, alleged instructors openly made sexist remarks, rated female recruits’ appearance and entered women’s dormitories without warning.

The BBC said North Yorkshire Police received 16 reports of sexual offences linked to the college in the year to June, including allegations of sexual assault, voyeurism and exposure. Ministry of Defence data also showed 176 complaints of inappropriate sexual behaviour at the college between January 2018 and June 2025, including 32 allegations against permanent staff and 144 against junior soldiers.

The investigation also highlighted convictions involving two Army instructors in separate cases of sexual offences in recent years, although the BBC said none of the four women’s allegations were linked to those men. The women nevertheless questioned the culture at the college, with one alleging an instructor referred to her as “that slag” after she reported being raped, reinforcing misogynistic attitudes among recruits.

Labour MP Emma Lewell, who sits on Parliament’s Defence Committee, called for an independent inquiry, saying serious questions needed to be asked about whether the college should continue operating. She said if similar allegations had emerged elsewhere, the institution would likely have faced closure or a full investigation.

The Army described the allegations as “extremely distressing and serious” and said “unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces.” It said several reforms had been introduced to support victims, including the Defence Serious Crime Command, and encouraged anyone who had experienced abuse to come forward. The Army added that a visit by safeguarding authorities earlier this year recognised the college’s “culture of care”, while Ofsted had rated its discipline system “outstanding”.

The allegations come amid wider concerns about the treatment of women in Britain’s armed forces. An MoD report last year found 67% of women in the military had experienced at least one form of sexualised behaviour in the previous 12 months, while an internal review this year said commanders still had “some way to go” before creating an inclusive culture across training establishments.