An army barracks has been slammed by the UK's Armed Forces Minister over what he describes as 'disgraceful' sex videos.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that a series of clips circulating on social media appeared to show a group of soldiers having an orgy with a woman at Colchester's Merville Barracks.
The Royal Military Police are now investigating the videos, which are said to show a number of male troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade performing sexual acts with the woman in different areas of the base.
James Heappey, who currently serves as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, has since slammed the incident while speaking on ITV's Peston.
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"I am aware of that clip and it is disgraceful and people sort of say 'well it was consensual' – that doesn't matter," he said.
"We want the nation's brightest and best to serve in our armed forces and we want women serving in the armed forces to know that they're serving in an environment where they are safe, where they are respected.
"Whatever it was that happened in Colchester, it's just not appropriate. It's not the advert for the army that we would want to show right now.
"And I'm just sorry and embarrassed and angry that what happened in Colchester has let down that incredible effort from our armed forces."
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Heappey continued: "I'm confident that the men and women of our armed forces will continue to excel themselves and I'm confident the chain of command will correct those responsible for what happened in Colchester."
New details about the scandal have emerged amid the ongoing investigation, with The Times speaking to an army source who said the clips were 'pretty graphic in detail'.
Footage is said to show half-naked troops as they engage in sexual activity. The source told the outlet: “It’s a single female with a number of soldiers engaged in consensual sex.”
It's not known when the videos were filmed or who the woman was, although it's believed she is a civilian who had somehow made it into the Essex-based barracks.
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A spokesperson for the army said: “The army expects the highest standards of behaviour from all their personnel.
"Anyone not maintaining these standards will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken against them.
“The Royal Military Police are investigating several videos appearing to involve army personnel. It would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing.”
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Army, UK News
Daisy Phillipson