Female cadets 'were raped and abused by other soldiers at Army training college'

By GLEN KEOGH, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:22, 7 August 2026 | Updated: 00:22, 7 August 2026 An Army training college for teenagers is at the centre of a police investigation after four women said they were sexually assaulted by other soldiers. The women say they were sexually abused or raped at the Army Foundation College within the past five years, when all were aged 17. Yesterday the BBC reported the accounts from women about their experiences at the college in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, which provides military training and education to those aged under 19. One woman said she had always wanted to be a soldier but her dream was shattered when she was raped by several fellow soldiers. 'They were like, "Do you want to come into the room?",' the woman, whose name was given as Tilly to protect her identity, told the BBC. "And me being a naive 17-year-old girl was like "yeah fine".' She added: 'They started taking my clothes off and then this led to them doing stuff I didn't consent to. '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.' The women say they were sexually abused or raped at the Army Foundation College within the past five years Tilly left the Army two weeks after the attack. The four women who reported their alleged sexual abuse to the broadcaster said there was a culture of misogyny and sexual violence at the Army college. Another woman said a fellow soldier trapped her in a room and attacked her, kissing her face when she did not consent. Another said staff at the college had misogynistic attitudes, with instructors marking the looks of female soldiers out of ten. Last night, North Yorkshire Police 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. 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.' An Army spokesman said: 'Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces. 'People join in the hope of having a fantastic career and any such reports are unacceptable and go completely against everything the Army stands for.'