Armed Forces Bill

I could go into the case of Private Ian Thain, with whom I served in Northern Ireland, which has haunted me down the years. He was required to take a decision in the most difficult circumstances. The matter was taken out of the hands of military forces, which should have been able to protect him, and he was convicted of a murder that he did not commit. He went to prison as a criminal and served a sentence with some of the most hardened criminals in this country. That case has haunted me, and it will continue to haunt me so long as clauses such as this continue to come before this House. All I want to do is to incorporate the simplest protection into the Bill. Lord Boyce has been quoted more often in this debate than Lord Goldsmith has ever been quoted in the context of other legislation, and I shall quote him again:"““It is impossible to achieve and maintain the necessary level of discipline unless those under his or her command are in absolutely no doubt that their commanding officer has authority over them.””—[Official Report, House of Lords, 14 July 2005;Vol. 673, c. 1235.]" The failure to involve someone in the prosecution of a crime who understands the context of that crime puts at risk the unique relationship in our armed forces between a commanding officer and the men who serve under him.