Abu Ghraib woman makes plea deal

By Matt Wells
BBC News, New York

Photos of Pte England became a symbol of the scandal

A US woman soldier is to plead guilty to abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, her lawyer says.

Private Lynndie England, 22, has agreed to a plea deal that will reduce her maximum jail sentence to 11 years.

The army reservist's grinning face became the symbol of the abuse scandal inside the notorious Iraqi prison.

Pictures of her holding an Iraqi inmate on a leash and pointing at inmates' genitals were among the most infamous images of the abuses.

'Joking around'

Pte England had been due in a Texas military court on Monday to face trial.

But her lawyer said last night that she has agreed to a plea deal that will lead to a maximum sentence of 11 years, instead of over 16 years.

Profile: Lynndie England

The lawyer, Captain Jonathan Crisp, said that she will plead guilty to seven counts, including conspiracy, cruelty and maltreatment of prisoners and committing indecent acts.

Two of the charges will be dismissed, he added.

"This is in her best interests," Pte England's civilian lawyer Rick Hernandez told the Associated Press news agency.

Many of the photographs of her posing alongside Iraqi detainees were taken on a single night in November 2003.

The pictures caused shock and outrage when they emerged through American media reports last year and badly damaged the image of the US-led invasion force.

At the time the pictures were taken Pte England was the girlfriend of the prison guard Charles Graner, who is serving a 10-year sentence for his part in the abuses.

Defence lawyers have argued that Pte England and others in her unit were acting on orders from military intelligence to soften up prisoners for interrogation.

But army investigators testified that Pte England said the reservists took the photos while they were just joking around.