England pleads guilty to abuses

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Pfc. Lynndie England pleaded guilty Monday to seven of nine charges that she faced in connection with alleged prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in late 2003.

England, 22, an Army reservist with the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company, said many of her actions at the Baghdad- area prison -- which included, most infamously, posing for a photo in which she dragged a prisoner by a leash -- were spurred by a desire to fit in with her fellow soldiers.

"I was yielding to peer pressure," she told the judge, Col. James Pohl, who questioned England for about three hours about her guilty plea on charges of maltreatment, conspiracy and indecent acts.

She pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent acts and one charge of dereliction of duty. Both of those charges were dismissed.

England now faces a maximum of 11 years in prison, demotion, a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of pay and allowances. Originally, she faced 16 1/2 years in prison.

However, England's pre-trial agreement specifies a maximum prison sentence she may serve, although that information was not made public. On Saturday, The New York Times reported that England's pre- trial agreement specifies a maximum prison sentence of 30 months.

During testimony Monday, England, who seemed confused at times by Pohl's pointed questions, said she was not ordered to commit any of the acts. She initially said she thought her participation was not wrong but later said the opposite.

Pohl questioned the validity of her guilty plea on the basis of her conflicting statements.

"There isn't a situation where an accused can plead guilty if she didn't think it was wrong at the time," he said.

However, England later said she was certain, at the time, that her actions were wrong.

England, a West Virginia native, is the seventh soldier to plead guilty to alleged prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. Another soldier, Pvt. Charles Graner, was convicted in January at Fort Hood. Graner, who impregnated England while the two were stationed in Iraq, is expected to testify in defense of England at her sentencing hearing later this week, according to Fort Hood officials.

England, who was stoic throughout her court appearance, did not comment Monday afternoon after court adjourned. She was not accompanied by family members. Her lawyers also declined comment.

Earlier Monday, England's military counsel, Capt. Jonathan Crisp, unsuccessfully moved to recuse Pohl, alleging that his participation in England's court-martial would be biased because Pohl had presided over trials of other soldiers found guilty in Abu Ghraib-related incidents. Pohl rejected the motion.

"Your continued insistence to sit on these cases gives the appearance of impropriety," Crisp said. "We believe that you will give rulings consistent with other cases because of prior knowledge you have."

Selection of a nine-member all-military jury is scheduled to begin today. Last week, the defense said it would present evidence showing that England has severe learning disabilities and mental health problems.

On Monday, they said they planned to call mental health experts to testify during the sentencing phase of England's trial, which could begin as early as today.

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