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Judge convicts US marine of desertion for vanishing twice while in Iraq
Source: Associated Press
Judge convicts US marine of desertion for vanishing twice while in Iraq
Associated Press in Raleigh, North Carolina
Monday 23 February 2015 20.26 GMT
A US marine who vanished a decade ago in Iraq was convicted on Monday of desertion for leaving his post there and then fleeing to Lebanon after a brief return to the US.
The judge at Camp Lejeune, marine Major Nicholas Martz, ruled in a bench trial that Corporal Wassef Hassoun was guilty of deserting for the 2004 and 2005 disappearances. Hassoun was also convicted of causing the loss of his service pistol.
Sentencing is expected later this week after more witnesses are called. A spokesman for the marines, captain Stewart Coles, said in a release that Hassoun faces a maximum penalty of seven and a half years in prison, reduction in rank and a dishonorable discharge.
While the judge determined Hassoun intentionally fled during the two disappearances at the heart of the case, his ruling leaves the defendant facing a less severe punishment than he did at the trial’s outset. Had he been convicted of all charges and specifications, he could have been sentenced to a maximum of 27 years in prison.
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Associated Press in Raleigh, North Carolina
Monday 23 February 2015 20.26 GMT
A US marine who vanished a decade ago in Iraq was convicted on Monday of desertion for leaving his post there and then fleeing to Lebanon after a brief return to the US.
The judge at Camp Lejeune, marine Major Nicholas Martz, ruled in a bench trial that Corporal Wassef Hassoun was guilty of deserting for the 2004 and 2005 disappearances. Hassoun was also convicted of causing the loss of his service pistol.
Sentencing is expected later this week after more witnesses are called. A spokesman for the marines, captain Stewart Coles, said in a release that Hassoun faces a maximum penalty of seven and a half years in prison, reduction in rank and a dishonorable discharge.
While the judge determined Hassoun intentionally fled during the two disappearances at the heart of the case, his ruling leaves the defendant facing a less severe punishment than he did at the trial’s outset. Had he been convicted of all charges and specifications, he could have been sentenced to a maximum of 27 years in prison.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/23/us-marine-convicted-desertion-iraq
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