Calls for Army college inquiry after reports of rape and abuse

Warning: This article contains sexual language and details of sexual assault Calls are growing for an independent inquiry into an Army training college for teenagers following allegations of rape and sexual abuse against female recruits. Four young women told the BBC they were sexually assaulted and harassed while attending the Army Foundation College (AFC) at Harrogate in North Yorkshire. They described a culture of misogyny and sexual violence at the college, which they all attended when they were 17. Sarah Atherton, former MP for Wrexham, told the BBC that public confidence in the college could "only be restored through an independent inquiry". Emma Lewell MP said: "If this was any other school or residential environment for children, it would have been closed down." Meanwhile, two Lib Dem MPs have written to Defence Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an independent inquiry into the "culture, leadership and safeguarding practices" at the college. Atherton, who previously served in the Army's Intelligence Corps, led a 2021 government review into the experiences of women in the armed forces. The review, which took evidence from over 4,200 women, reported cases of rape, sexual exp