British troops killed a prisoner and mutilated the bodies of 20 Iraqi insurgents, it was claimed in court yesterday.
Other captives are also said to have been abused or tortured in the aftermath of a gun battle in southern Iraq in May 2004.
Details can be disclosed after the High Court lifted an order preventing reporting of the case yesterday.
On patrol: A British soldier in Iraq
The allegations are among the most serious against British soldiers who served in Iraq. Relatives of those killed and survivors are fighting for compensation and for an
The incident is already being investigated by the Military Police.
The abuses are said to have taken place following a three-hour gun battle when soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were ambushed by militiamen on the road from the hotspot town of Al Amara to Basra in May 2004.
The scene was close to Majar al-Kabir, where a year earlier an Iraqi mob overwhelmed and killed six British military policemen.
It is alleged that corpses were removed from the battlefield and showed signs of mutilation when they were left at a local hospital. It is also claimed that a prisoner died in custody and others were abused.
Lawyers say testimonies of five witnesses "combine to give a harrowing account of what took place".
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