England apologizes for Iraqi prisoner photos as defense bids for light sentence News
England apologizes for Iraqi prisoner photos as defense bids for light sentence

[JURIST] Pfc. Lynndie England [JURIST news archive] Tuesday apologized for posing for pictures with humiliated Iraqi prisoners, saying that she had been used by her then-boyfriend Spc. Charles Graner [JURIST news archive; after his own conviction in January for abusing prisoners Graner was demoted to Private]. As the sentencing phase of her trial following her Monday conviction on six of seven abuse-related charges [JURIST report] got under way at Fort Hood Texas, a military jury of officers also heard testimony from Stjepan Mestrovic, a sociology professor at Texas A&M University, that officers' failure to control guards at Abu Ghraibprison created a chaotic environment that allowed England to participate in the abuse. Graner later corroborated Mestrovic's testimony, saying he once severely beat a prisoner while intelligence personnel watched. Defense psychologist Xavier Amador added that England suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder [backgrounder] and was prone to depression. Her pre-existing psychological condition, combined with her romantic relationship with Graner, affected her ability to discern right from wrong. AP has more.