UK Edition
A decorated war veteran has made an emotional demand for the government to shut down its "witch hunt" into historic allegations of abuse in Iraq.
Rachel Webster, a former captain, announced she was suing the Ministry of Defence over her wrongful arrest by investigators in January 2014.
Miss Webster was swooped on in a dawn raid at her home in London and driven 100 miles to Portsmouth for questioning.
The MoD has paid damages for her rough treatment but Miss Webster is now mounting a further legal action over the right of the Iraq historic allegations team to have raided her home. Damages could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Miss Webster was unable to hold back the tears as her lawyer read from a prepared statement on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice.
In the statement Miss Webster branded Ihat an "aberration' and called on Theresa May to shut it down.
Her barrister David Taylor said on her behalf: "Rachel calls for an end to this self-inflicted military fiasco and that an inquiry be ordered to see what went so badly wrong.
"The Prime Minister Theresa May said recently that the bravest of the brave would be protected. Rachel Webster served her country well for 24 years.
"Rising to the rank of captain she received a Commanders' Commendation in Kosovo for her work with rape victims with four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and honoured for her efforts in rebuilding schools in Basra, she is one of the bravest of the brave.
"So she calls upon the Prime Minister Theresa May. An honourable woman. Who like Rachel has spent her whole life defending British values and protecting British lives: to shut down Ihat now and put an end to this bloated, discredited and damaging witch hunt."
She further branded Ihat an "unstoppable double jeopardy juggernaut running dangerously out of control".
She protested: "Ihat has been complicit in the needless investigation of thousands of military personnel, interrupting their lives and frazzling the entail health of those put under the spotlight."
