Anne-Marie Ellement: Two former corporals charged with raping colleague who later killed herself in 2011

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Two former British Army corporals, Thomas Fulton and Jeremy Jones, have been charged with the rape of Corporal Anne-Marie Ellement, who took her own life in October 2011, according to the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA).

Fulton and Jones are now due to face a Court Martial, according to a statement from the director of service prosecutions, Andrew Cayley.

Ellement reported being raped by two soldiers after a night out in November 2009, and later allegedly faced constant bullying from her colleagues and superiors as a result.

At an inquest into her death in March, coroner Nicholas Rheinberg said the Ministry of Defence needed to review its care for vulnerable soldiers, saying that the bullying, the "lingering" mental affects of an alleged rape, and "work-related despair" were all factors in her death.

An initial investigation into the rape took place in 2009, and the case was referred to the SPA, an organisation within the MoD which is responsible for the consideration and prosecution of offences committed by members of the military.

After taking over the case, the SPA decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute, and no more action was taken until 2013, when the case was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for review at the request of her family.

The CPS review was completed earlier this year, and having considered all the evidence, Cayley has now announced that there is sufficient evidence to charge the men.

In a statement, he said it is in the "public and service interest to prosecute them," and added "the original decision by the SPA not to prosecute was wrong."

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