Technology and Science07 August, 20263 min read
Wes Streeting Says He Is Sickened By BBC Reports Of Rape At Harrogate Army College
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Wes Streeting says he is sickened by sexual abuse allegations at Army Foundation College Harrogate Four women allege rape and harassment at AFC Harrogate
Harrogate allegations surface
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he was "absolutely sickened" by BBC reports of rape and sexual abuse of young female recruits at the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The BBC said four women told it they were sexually assaulted and harassed while attending the North Yorkshire college over the last five years, and it reported that Streeting would be "looking in detail specifically at what's gone wrong at Harrogate". North Yorkshire Police told the BBC in a response to a Freedom of Information Act request that it had received 16 reports of sexual offences linked to the college in the year to June, including allegations of exposure, voyeurism and sexual assault.
The BBC also said Ministry of Defence data showed 176 complaints of inappropriate sexual behaviour at the college were made between January 2018 and June 2025. Streeting said he sympathised with the women who had been "badly failed" and praised them for speaking up.
Army and police respond
The Army described the reports as "unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our armed forces" and urged victims and witnesses to come forward after four young women told the BBC they suffered sexual abuse and harassment at AFC.
North Yorkshire Police said in a statement that reports of sexual abuse at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate are "deeply disturbing" and that it continues to sensitively support the young victims and their families while doing all it can to bring perpetrators to justice.
The BBC reported that one woman, Tilly, told it she was 17 when she was raped at AFC by several fellow soldiers who invited her into their room, and she said: "It went on for hours. I felt like a piece of meat."
The BBC also reported that another woman’s story was shared with it by her mother, who said her daughter Amy was sexually assaulted and subjected to almost daily sexual harassment during her training.
The BBC said the MoD told it that AFC "welcomes external scrutiny and challenge" and that the college had hosted safeguarding bodies, parliamentarians, the Children's Commissioner's office and the Armed Forces Commissioner, as well as receiving an outstanding report from Ofsted.
Culture change and scrutiny
Streeting said he needed to assure himself that the military was doing "everything we can to deliver the culture change that’s needed so that everyone in uniform upholds the standards that we would expect." The BBC reported that Sarah Atherton, former MP for Wrexham, told it that public confidence in the college could "only be restored through an independent inquiry". The BBC also quoted Emma Lewell MP saying: "If this was any other school or residential environment for children, it would have been closed down."
The Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza told the BBC she would ensure the "appalling attacks" were investigated and that those responsible, including for failing to safeguard these girls, are held to account. The BBC said the MoD told it that AFC had received an outstanding report from Ofsted and that it welcomes external scrutiny and challenge, while the Army said it had introduced changes including the Defence Serious Crime Command.