Young women tell BBC of rape, assault and harassment at Army training college for teenagers
They say the incidents happened at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate when they were aged 17.
Four young women have come forward to the BBC, alleging they were sexually assaulted and harassed while attending the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, during their teenage years. One of the women, Tilly, claims she was raped multiple times by fellow junior soldiers, with the assault lasting for hours. The college's culture, according to the women, is rife with misogyny and sexual violence.
The BBC reports that North Yorkshire Police received 16 reports of sexual offences linked to the college in the year leading up to June. These allegations include exposure, voyeurism, and sexual assault. However, the article does not specify whether these cases resulted in prosecutions. Moreover, 176 complaints of inappropriate sexual behavior were made at the college between January 2018 and June 2025, with 32 allegations against permanent staff and 144 against junior soldiers.
The Army spokesperson asserts that "unacceptable and criminal behavior has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces." The foundation college is the largest military training establishment for under-19s in the UK, currently housing 70 female junior soldiers out of a total of 889 personnel. The BBC, however, has chosen to protect the identities of the women involved by naming them Tilly, Monica, and Amy.
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