Lynndie England gives birth in US

Lawyers for Pte England claim she has been made a scapegoat

A US soldier accused of abusing prisoners in Iraq has given birth to a baby fathered by another soldier facing charges over the scandal.

Pte Lynndie England, 21, was pictured smiling and posing with nude Iraqi inmates at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.

A US Army official confirmed the birth but would not reveal the sex of the baby, although US newspaper the Baltimore Sun claimed it was a boy.

Pte England and her ex-lover both face courts martial early next year.

The Abu Ghraib pictures caused controversy around the world when they were published earlier this year.

Pte England was pictured holding an Iraqi prisoner on a leash and pointing at the genitals of a naked detainee.

She was also photographed smiling while standing behind naked Iraqis, who were stacked on top of each other.

Serious charges

She became pregnant during her relationship with Spc Charles Graner, another soldier pictured in the photographs.

A lawyer representing Pte England confirmed that she gave birth on Sunday at a military hospital at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where she is stationed.

She is scheduled to stand trial in January on 19 charges of assault, disobeying orders and possessing sexually explicit material.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of 38 years in prison.