A military training college for junior soldiers has come under scrutiny following reports of nine rapes made to police in just over a year.

According to an Army spokesperson, the institution maintains a “zero-tolerance policy on sexual offences.” However, the college, which trains 16- and 17-year-olds, was the site of 13 sexual offences reported to North Yorkshire Police during the same period.

The figures, disclosed through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Child Rights International Network (CRIN), cover incidents reported between 22 July 2022 and 17 August 2023.

This is particularly alarming given that Ofsted rated the college’s welfare and safeguarding as “outstanding” in 2021. In addition to the nine rape reports, there were two allegations of sexual assault and two of voyeurism within the 2022-2023 timeframe.

In January 2023, an instructor at the college was sentenced to 20 months’ military detention and dismissed from the Army after being convicted of sexual assault and eight counts of cruel or indecent conduct. While the Army stated it is committed to “rooting out all forms of inappropriate behaviour” and claims to have “strong safeguarding mechanisms” in place, it declined to comment on any ongoing investigations.

David Gee of CRIN told The Guardian that “on this record, Harrogate cannot be regarded as safe.”

This case serves as another stark reminder of institutional failings to protect children from sexual abuse, even when concerns are repeatedly raised with authorities.

At Switalskis, our Child Abuse Solicitors regularly represent survivors who were failed by the very systems meant to protect them. We continue to see how such failures not only allow abuse to persist but also intensify the trauma survivors carry into adulthood.

Every survivor deserves to be heard, believed, and supported - and those responsible, especially within educational institutions, must be held accountable.

For confidential legal advice, please contact David Greenwood on 01924 882000, email david.greenwood@switalskis.com or contact us through the website below.