Teenage Girls Report Gang Rapes at School
A BBC investigation uncovers a culture of misogyny and violence at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, prompting calls for an urgent independent inquiry.
A BBC investigation uncovers a culture of misogyny and violence at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, prompting calls for an urgent independent inquiry.
Four young women have told the BBC of the harrowing experiences of sexual abuse and harassment they suffered while attending the Army Foundation College (AFC), a military school for teenagers in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, at the age of seventeen. Their testimonies reveal a widespread culture of misogyny and sexual violence, sparking a wave of condemnation and calls for an urgent independent inquiry into Britain's largest military training establishment for under-19s.
One victim, given the pseudonym Tilly by the BBC to protect her identity, described being raped by several fellow soldiers after agreeing to enter their room. "They started taking my clothes off and doing things I didn't consent to. There were so many of them... And then they raped me. It went on for hours. I felt like a piece of meat," Tilly said. She left the army just two weeks after the attack, and although she reported the case to the police, no charges were ever brought. She eventually reached a financial settlement with North Yorkshire Police, whose investigation was later described as "wholly inadequate."
Another victim, Monika, described how a fellow soldier trapped her in a room and sexually assaulted her. "He stood in front of the door so I couldn't get out," she recounted. She managed to escape only after pushing him away. Amy, whose experience was relayed by her mother Cheryl, faced near-daily sexual harassment. Due to a broken door lock, she slept diagonally across her door to prevent male soldiers from entering.
The girls allege that the culture of misogyny was not only perpetuated by young soldiers but was directly modeled by superiors. Ellie, who also suffered a sexual assault, recalled an instructor's words during the first week of training: "It's all about intimate relationships and how much you can get." Instructors allegedly rated the girls' physical appearance on a scale of 1 to 10, entered female dormitories without knocking, and publicly humiliated victims with derogatory names.
Data obtained by the BBC further underscores the scale of the problem. Of the 889 junior soldiers at AFC, only 70 girls are currently stationed there. In the past year, 16 sexual offenses linked to the college were reported to the police, and from 2018 to June 2025, 176 complaints of inappropriate sexual behavior were submitted to the Ministry of Defence. Of these, 32 allegations were against permanent staff, and 144 against junior soldiers.
Sarah Atherton, former MP for Wrexham and a former member of the Intelligence Corps who led a government review into women's experiences in the armed forces in 2021, told the BBC that public confidence in the college can only be "restored through an independent inquiry." She added that "concerns about AFC Harrogate were raised years ago, and subsequent data and complaints suggest that problems have continued without appropriate action."
Emma Lewell, an MP on the Defence Select Committee, was even more blunt: "If this were any other school or residential setting for children, it would be closed." She called for an urgent independent inquiry led by someone with significant experience in child protection. "There is a long-standing culture of complaints about sexual abuse, abuse, sexual assault, physical abuse, so this is a matter of urgency," she said.
The case has reignited questions about the safety of women in the armed forces, particularly following the tragic death of Gunner Jaysley Beck. In July 2021, she was sexually assaulted by then-43-year-old Sergeant Michael Webber, who pressed her against a wall and attempted to kiss her. Five months later, in December 2021, she was found dead in her barracks in Larkhill, Wiltshire. An inquest into her death concluded that the sexual assault and the army's failure to take appropriate action "more than minimally" contributed to her decision to take her own life.
Webber was sentenced to six months in prison last year. Jaysley Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, told the BBC that her daughter, who was 19 when she reported the assault, was not believed and was labeled a "troublemaker." "If those above her had done what they should have, I believe our daughter would still be alive," she said.
The 2021 government review, which took testimony from over 4,200 women, concluded that women were "denied justice" through a "wholly inadequate" military complaints process. Last year's Ministry of Defence report showed that 67% of women in the armed forces experienced at least one sexualized behavior in the previous 12 months, compared to 34% of men.
An army spokesperson described the reports as "extremely distressing" and stated that "unacceptable and criminal behavior has no place in the Armed Forces." The army urged all victims and witnesses to come forward, highlighting that several reforms have been introduced to support victims, including providing specialist support outside the chain of command through the Defence Serious Crime Command. They also noted that a visit by the Children's Commissioner and child protection bodies in January 2026 recognized "a culture of care and the confidence that junior soldiers have in raising concerns."
