Lynndie England's Abu Ghraib plea bargain thrown out

A military judge threw out a guilty plea by Lynndie England, a key figure in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, after new evidence in her trial indicated she considered herself innocent.

The decision by Judge Colonel James Pohl yesterday throws into doubt the fate of the 22-year-old reservist private, made infamous by photos showing her pointing at a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners and holding one naked inmate on a dog-leash.

The turning point was testimony by Private Charles Graner that she was following orders and that the photos were intended for a training manual.

"The defence cannot have it both ways," an exasperated Judge Pohl declared, saying that Pte England's guilty plea, and her admission that she knew what she was doing was wrong and solely for the amusement of other guards, could not be reconciled with the claim of Graner and other defence witnesses.

Graner, believed to be the father of Pte England's recently born child, is serving a 10-year term for his part in the abuse.

Judge Pohl said he would enter a not-guilty plea for Pte England. The trial will now have to start from scratch. Under the earlier plea bargain, she admitted guilt on seven of nine counts.