Eight paratroopers serving in the UK 16th Airborne Brigade were under police investigation for a video showing them having sex with a man hiding in the Merville barracks in Colchester, as revealed earlier this month. The woman had been hiding in barracks up to 31 times in the past five months, according to the Times of London. The new UK Army chief, General Sir Patrick Saunders, told his generals and commanders in a letter that he would not “endanger the mission or reputation of the British Army” by sending troops abroad, the Times reported. Although the military police eventually ruled that no crime had been committed, Saunders reportedly said in the letter that the incident could appear to have “underestimated women” and was against the values of the military. “My message to the military is clear – our license is based on trust and confidence and we must meet the highest standards,” Saunders wrote. He added that “such behavior is unacceptable, corrosive and detrimental to the military’s reputation,” according to the Times. General Sir Patrick Saunders told his generals and commanders in a letter that he would not “endanger the mission or reputation of the British Army” by sending troops abroad. General Patrick Saunders reportedly said in a letter that the incident could appear to have “underestimated women” and was against the values of the military. Matt Cardy / Getty Images “I am not prepared to risk the NATO mission or the reputation of the British military by deploying 3 Para at this time.” The news of the orgy follows a series of incidents during an exercise in Northern Macedonia in May, when several soldiers were accused of “unprofessional behavior” during the exercise.
