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Military Judge Tosses Out Lynndie England Guilty Plea

HeadlineMay 05, 2005

A military judge has declared a mistrial in the case of Lynndie England — the female soldier photographed abusing and mocking Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib. In one photo she posed while holding a leash around the neck of a naked Iraqi man. The judge threw out her guilty plea saying he wasn’t convinced that England knew her actions were wrong. The announcement came after England’s former boss and lover — Charles Graner — told the military court he had ordered England to pose for the photographs. He said the photographs were a “legitimate training aid for other guards.” The judge then told England “If Private Graner is to be believed, he was not violating any law, so you could not be violating any law.” The judge went on to say “If you don’t want to plead guilty, don’t. But you can’t plead guilty and say you’re not guilty. … You can’t have it both ways.” England is now expected to be retried.

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