Bassingbourn Libyan soldiers deny rape of Cambridge man Published duration 26 January 2015

image caption Security at the barracks was increased after three recruits were charged with sexual offences

Two Libyan soldiers have denied raping a man while they were stationed in Cambridgeshire.

Moktair Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abugtila, 23, were being trained by the British Army at Bassingbourn Barracks.

They pleaded not guilty to raping a man in his 20s on Christ's Pieces, Cambridge, on 26 October, when they appeared at Cambridge Crown Court.

A trial, expected to last six days, has been set for 5 May.

Both men were remanded in custody.

Mahmoud and Abugtila were among a group of more than 300 cadets who arrived at the barracks in June.

They had been brought to the UK to undergo basic infantry and junior command training under an agreement reached at the G8 summit in 2013 to support the Libyan government's efforts to improve the security and stability of the country.

image caption About 300 Libyan recruits arrived for training at the barracks in June