Rape charge against two soldiers dropped (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Rape charge against two soldiers dropped

THE cases against two of the soldiers accused of raping a woman in Swindon have been dropped.

But a third member of the 1 Staffordshire Regiment based at Tidworth still faces the prospect of trial by jury for the alleged incident.

The Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence against Jason Rushton and Milon Warrican at a second hearing within a few days.

However colleague Cosmus Cupid remains charged with raping the girl on Friday November 26 last year. Cupid, 25, pleaded not guilty to the charge when they appeared before a judge at Swindon crown court last week. Warrican, 25, had also denied the matter at an earlier hearing but no charge was formally put to Rushton, 30, and he did not enter a plea.

All three men who are in the 1 Staffordshire Regiment which is currently based at Tidworth.

Cupid gave the court his address as Moolton Barracks and Rushton and Warrican gave theirs as Jellabad Barracks in the garrison town.

The soldiers are due to be posted to Iraq for six months in a few weeks time and Cupid was released on bail on condition he did not contact prosecution witnesses.