Reports of rape and abuse against women at Army training college
Four young women say they suffered sexual abuse and harassment while attending the Army Foundation College at Harrogate
Last updated 4 hours ago
Reports of rape and sexual abuse against female recruits at a military training college for teenagers are “extremely distressing” and “unacceptable”, the Army has said.
Four young women say they suffered sexual abuse and harassment while attending the Army Foundation College (AFC) at Harrogate in North Yorkshire, which provides basic training to under-19s.
The Army has now called for victims and witnesses of criminal behaviour at the college to come forward.
“Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces and these reports are extremely distressing and serious,” a spokesperson for the Army said on Thursday.
“People join the Army in the hope of having a fantastic career and any such reports are unacceptable and go completely against everything the Army stands for.
“We encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed unacceptable or criminal behaviour at the Army Foundation College to come forward.”
The spokesperson added: “We know this can be difficult and that’s why a number of changes have been made in recent years to support victims, including the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Command, which is independent and outside of the Army chain of command and has a specialist team who help victims throughout the process of justice.”
A woman said she had been raped, when she was 17, at the college by fellow soldiers.
She said the attack lasted for hours and took place after she was casually invited into a soldier’s room.
“They started taking my clothes off and then this led to them doing stuff I didn’t consent to,” she said.
“There were a lot of them. They touched me in places, made inappropriate comments, calling me a thing rather than a girl.
“And then I was raped… by multiple junior soldiers, same age as me.
“It went on for hours. I felt like a piece of meat.”
Another woman said she was sexually assaulted by a fellow soldier who trapped her in a room before kissing and touching her without her consent.
Another woman was allegedly sexually assaulted and subjected to sexual harassment during her training and would sleep across the door to her room to stop male soldiers entering.
Instructors were also accused of inappropriate behaviour, including marking girls’ looks out of 10 and walking into the girls’ dorms without knocking while cadets were undressed.
The spokesperson for the Army said the most recent Ofsted report and visit by the Children’s Commissioner and safeguarding authorities in January 2026 “recognised the culture of care (at AFC) and the confidence junior soldiers have in raising concerns”.
An Army spokesperson said: “The College welcomes external scrutiny and challenge and in the last year has hosted the safeguarding bodies, Parliamentarians, the Children’s Commissioner's office and the Armed Forces Commissioner, as well as receiving an outstanding report from Ofsted.”
Council response
During a Commons defence select committee hearing earlier this year, Labour MP Emma Lewell said that between 2021 and 2024 there had been 122 investigations into sexual offences against under 18-year-olds at AFC – 80 of which involved sexual assault.
Ms Lewell also said North Yorkshire Council had received 89 safeguarding notifications in the last five years concerning staff at the college.
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for children and families, Mel Hutchinson, said:
“The welfare and safety of young people in North Yorkshire remains our highest priority. We would like to clarify an inaccuracy regarding safeguarding figures recently quoted in Parliament concerning the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate.
“The figure of 89 safeguarding notifications relates to the period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2025, a ten-year timeframe, not five years as has been reported.
“It is important to note that a safeguarding notification is recorded when a concern is raised and an enquiry or investigation is initiated. It should not be seen as evidence that an allegation has been proven. A significant proportion of these notifications were not substantiated following investigation.
“We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Defence and the AFC to ensure all safeguarding concerns are handled appropriately and that robust safeguarding arrangements remain in place.”
Police response
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Reports of sexual abuse at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate are deeply disturbing, and North Yorkshire Police continues to sensitively support the young victims and their families while doing all we can to bring perpetrators to justice.
“While we cannot go into detail on specific investigations due to the legal requirement to protect the life-long anonymity of victims of sexual offences, it is important to stress that North Yorkshire Police will never tolerate sexual abuse.
“We encourage victims to come forward to the police and seek the specialist support that is readily available, no matter how long ago the offences took place.”