A British soldier has been sentenced to nine years in prison in Austria for raping a six-year-old girl in her home.
The 30-year-old pleaded guilty, although he told the court he did not remember what happened because he was drunk.
Craig Michael Stormey had been taking part in an army training camp in the Stubaital Alpine valley at the time.
He entered the unlocked family home in the early hours of the morning last November.
According to local reports, the girl's father went to his daughter's bedroom after being woken by a noise.
He found the half-naked serviceman and restrained him until police arrived.
A spokesman for the Tyrolean court in Innsbruck said the man's lawyer plans to appeal against the verdict.
If he loses the appeal, the spokesman said the soldier can ask to serve the prison sentence in Britain.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman has told Sky News: "We can confirm that a British soldier has been convicted in Austria of the rape of a minor and assault of a state authority, and is sentenced to nine years imprisonment."
Given the conviction, an application is expected to be made to discharge him from the Army.
The 30-year-old pleaded guilty, although he told the court he did not remember what happened because he was drunk.
Craig Michael Stormey had been taking part in an army training camp in the Stubaital Alpine valley at the time.
He entered the unlocked family home in the early hours of the morning last November.
According to local reports, the girl's father went to his daughter's bedroom after being woken by a noise.
He found the half-naked serviceman and restrained him until police arrived.
A spokesman for the Tyrolean court in Innsbruck said the man's lawyer plans to appeal against the verdict.
If he loses the appeal, the spokesman said the soldier can ask to serve the prison sentence in Britain.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman has told Sky News: "We can confirm that a British soldier has been convicted in Austria of the rape of a minor and assault of a state authority, and is sentenced to nine years imprisonment."
Given the conviction, an application is expected to be made to discharge him from the Army.
COMMENTS