A former Angus marine admitted using a leather belt to hit a new recruit as part of a “joining run”.
Ryan Logan said he struck Carlo Nicholson just once at RM Condor in Arbroath as part of an initiation into 45 Commando, but denied waterboarding him with cider
The 25-year-old, who now works in the oil and gas industry, told Portsmouth Military Court he picked up the belt and hit Mr Nicholson once as nobody stepped forward to do so.
“I could hear a lot of laughing, cheering – maybe there was music,” he said.
“I spotted one of the lads I had previously seen in the gym and I’m good friends with and went to see what was going on.
“We were just chatting, watching the hilarity that was going on with lads drinking, lads telling stories.
“It was mostly the crowd’s participation who decided what the forfeit would be.
“One thing led to another and I ended up with the belt in my hand.
“(Nicholson) was the last in the drinking game.
“He walked to where I was standing, presented himself by putting his hands on his knees and I reefed him with the leather belt.
“I honestly cannot remember if he had clothes on.”
The court heard Logan hit Mr Nicholson at a ‘five out of ten’ in terms of force.
Logan said he was only at the event for 10 minutes.
The court previously heard that the ‘initiation ceremony’ on May 7 2014 was a welcome into the unit.
New recruits allegedly had to take part in a series of tasks, including fighting each other while naked and covered in cooking oil and eating spoonfuls of chilli, cinnamon or curry powder.
The court also heard the recruits had to eat dog food and lie in vomit.
Marine Ian Tennet, 22, denies one charge of ill treatment of a subordinate, Carlo Nicholson.
Logan denies four counts of battery and one charge of disgraceful conduct of a cruel kind.
Captain Alison Towler, prosecuting, said: “This case is quite simply one of which an event that could have been conducted as raucous fun got completely out of hand.
“There was an inappropriate initiation ceremony.
“Joiners were…subject to a series of tasks ranging from the humorous to the radical and you might think, disgusting, humiliating and degrading.”
She added: “It was only when Mr Nicholson was waterboarded and was finally faced with drinking somebody else’s urine and vomit that he threw in the towel and refused to co-operate.
“He was humiliated.”
The trial continues.
