Iraq war veteran Russell Davey was investigated by bosses at a military prep college over his treatment of young British Army hopefuls, a tribunal heard.
But, the ex-Royal Artillery veteran argued it was merely 'banter' and that he treated the teenage recruits like normal 'squaddies' because that's what life in the Army was like. Mr Davey, who has also served in Kuwait and the Falklands, was sacked after fellow instructors and veterans said his actions 'would have been unacceptable in a military context'.
At an employment tribunal, he tried to sue for unfair dismissal but has now lost his case after it was found he was 'wilfully blind' to safeguarding rules. Recruits aged 16 to 19 can enrol at the college with a view to starting a career in the armed forces. Mr Davey's employer was listed at the tribunal as Learning Curve Group, a training and education provider which offers courses for young people considering a career in the military or fitness sector.
He worked for Learning Curve Group from September 1, until he was sacked for gross misconduct on June 8, He joined the Army in - serving in the infantry and the Royal Artillery - and remains an Army Reservist. Mr Davey told the tribunal he and the other training instructors at the academy had military backgrounds, and were employed to 'be military training instructors in a military environment'.
Mr Davey didn't have any formal teaching qualifications and wasn't required to by Ofsted because of his experience in the military. A health and safety handbook - which Mr Davey claimed he's never seen - said: 'The instructor must never strike a [recruit]'. The Motivational Preparation College for Training Safeguarding and Health and Safety Handbook also said that humiliation, bad or abusive language and touching 'must be avoided'.
