A heavy police presence is patrolling the lanes around Bassingbourn barracks in Cambridgeshire in a belated attempt to stop any more of the 235 Libyan trainee troops inside from jumping the fence and spreading further fear among residents.
Only three years ago, in the flush of hope that followed the toppling of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the town of Royston, which is near the barracks, was considering twinning with a valiant Libyan town, such as Benghazi. Now, after the collapse of a disastrous Ministry of Defence initiative to use the nearby barracks to train Libyan soldiers – several of whom fought against the dictator – any sense of solidarity has gone and many residents want them sent home, fast.
The initiative put backs up from the start. Clubs for golf, fishing, hockey, badminton, land yachting and skiing on a dry slope were stopped from using the barracks to make way for the Libyans, allowing an estimated £1m worth of facilities to lie unused. Then villagers complained that, despite MoD assurances that the trainees would only be allowed out with escorts, they were finding “escaped” cadets hiding in garden bushes, buying vodka in the local store and “mobbing” a supermarket branch in fatigues and ogling young women.
Several villagers said they had no problem with the cadets, but those who lived closest to the barracks grew increasingly worried.
“I was inside the house when my dad was coming home from work and there was one of the Libyans in our drive,” said Kelly Wollaston, 21, a bakery worker. “He nearly ran him over. As he got out there was another one of them hiding underneath my car. I don’t think they were out to cause trouble, but my dad said: ‘What the hell are you doing?’ but they didn’t speak any English and ran up the road.”
The incident happened on 23 October and British army soldiers tried to round up the Libyans. Three days later another group left barracks and went to Cambridge where they were alleged to have carried out sexual assaults and rape. Residents now want to know why the MoD allowed them out again or allowed them to leave without permission, given it was already known they were causing trouble.
The alleged attacks have spread fear through the village, particularly among young women. Rumours swept between friends through Facebook: “There has been an escape. Lock up your doors and windows.”
Sofie Costello, 21 said her sister saw two trainees trying to jump over the barracks fence. “She phoned my mum scared and she told her not to open the door. I have lived here 16 years and I have never felt so unsafe. I look after three children and I know that people don’t want to let their children walk to school [alone] because they don’t feel safe. We hear the stories about sex assault charges and it is so close. They weren’t supposed to be allowed out.”
The authorities have been urging precautions too.
“I was walking my dog in Royston and was stopped by a military policeman,” one young woman said. “He asked if I was alone and just told me to go home. I knew why straight away. We’d heard some of them had escaped the previous night. It has not been nice.”
Des Downey, 68, is a golf club member who represented the sports clubs in talks with the MoD. “Here were a group of Libyan troops deposited in rural Cambridgeshire and we had no protection,” he said. “They just jumped over the fence. Was a risk assessment done about how they were going to manage this? I think now they have realised the gravity of what has happened and they can’t manage it.”
The Libyans are being sent home in the coming days, but the fears persist.
“Are there 250 people in there seething and about to jump the fence?” asked Downey. “Will they do a runner before they are sent back?”
