Experienced British Army soldiers were investigated for three years and put through a nightmare of false accusations that they had struck and ill-treated recruits after a "seriously flawed" military police inquiry, a court has heard.​

A judge has accused military police of not investigating "fairly and objectively" after officers decided they would not gather evidence that could undermine their case against 16 Army instructors.

Courts martial for the instructors at the Army Foundation College collapsed after the judge ruled the military police had mishandled the investigation so badly, the soldiers could not get a fair trial.

Eyewitnesses who contradicted the accusations were not questioned and investigators failed to gather photos which undermined the claims.

The defendants themselves were not asked for statements until years after the alleged abuse, when evidence that could have supported them was already lost.