Military wives and girlfriends who suffer chilling domestic abuse involving 'battlefield techniques' at the hands of high-ranking servicemen are being failed by the Ministry of Defence and justice system, a damning report has found.

A dossier of 52 harrowing cases reveals victims have been tortured with military techniques including chokeholds and restraints, have been raped, threatened with combat weapons and even taunted by the maiming of family pets by elite troops who have been 'kill-trained' for armed conflicts.

Some were subject to sophisticated tracking involving military resources and equipment.

One woman, diagnosed with PTSD after the abuse, reported that her husband brought home combat knives and a remote transponder to set off an improvised explosive device (IED) after threatening to put one around the front door. 

Another told how she had a stroke after excessive strangulation by a partner in the Special Forces who also used torture tactics, including pressing his thumbs into her eye sockets.

But a significant proportion of the women reported that MoD welfare services and the Royal Military Police 'closed rank' when such abuse was reported – and either failed to investigate or dismissed concerns for their safety. Some women were told by welfare staff that their job was to 'protect our boys'.

The report also claims top brass are prepared to submit glowing character references for alleged abusers whose cases come before the family and criminal courts, which campaigners say is 'swaying' judges in their favour and putting families at risk.

The deeply disturbing revelations – described by campaigners as the armed forces' 'nasty, big secret' - are particularly embarrassing for the MoD because it is implementing its Domestic Abuse Action Plan 2024-29. 

The plan says that the chain of command must ensure the entire unit is aware that domestic abuse is indefensible and unacceptable, and that 'necessary support' should be given to victims.

Natalie Page, the report's author who is director of Survivor Family Network, which supports victims of domestic abuse in family court cases, said her findings revealed 'a pattern, a culture of violence that stretches from the battlefield to the bedroom' and that it implicated the military's top brass 'in a scandal of unprecedented scale'.

She told The Mail on Sunday: 'It's a chilling cover-up, where loyalty to the regiment overrides morality, law and basic decency.

'The scandal isn't just the abuse; it's the fact that the system is the weapon, when swung with intent by a man in an elite uniform.

'The higher the rank, the deadlier the cut, as the system's reverence for their valour makes them untouchable.'

The report, compiled over two years, involved an online survey of military wives and girlfriends which led to nine women being interviewed in depth.

One reported that her partner had threatened her by showing her photographs of his 'kills' in Afghanistan and kept weapons he had stolen from the battlefield while subjecting her to violent sexual and physical abuse. 

One victim told how, after turning to the Army Welfare Service and the Royal Military Police, they were 'absolutely beyond terrible' and refused to help her, she believed, because of her abuser's rank.

All believed the Armed Forces were prepared to turn a blind eye to the abuse in order to protect their own. 

Fifty-five per cent of those taking part in the survey said their abusers had presented letters of support to family court proceedings from commanding officers, or had attempted to sway judgments by using their rank or appearing in court in uniform.

In one case, a victim described how an expert changed their testimony in order to protect her abuser in the civilian courts.

'The Army doctor said he was a risk to me and the kids when he applied for trauma compensation,' she said. 'When it came to family court, the same doctor wrote that he posed no risk at all.'

The MoD has an established process to deal with allegations of domestic violence.

Victims are advised to first approach the unit's doctor or padre, who informs the alleged abuser's commanding officer. The officer is then duty bound to investigate the allegations while the family is supported by welfare services and charities such as SSAFA and Aurora New Dawn.

But it is not clear whether this is happening in every case.

Prosecutions can be made either through the Royal Military or civilian police.

Publicly-available statistics on domestic abuse within the armed forces are not available, but rates have long been believed to be considerably higher than in the general population – and some evidence suggests they are less likely to result in prosecutions.

In 2019, Herefordshire Council estimated that around 40 per cent of wives and partners suffered abuse when the SAS returned from conflict zones to their headquarters in the county, and reported that the women 'went through hell'.

Research has found 12.4 per cent of regulars commit physical assault in the weeks following a deployment, when the domestic abuse rate in the general population is 8 per cent.

Yet government figures for 2024 reveal that just 37 domestic abuse cases involving serving personnel were referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority. Seven resulted in charges.

A 2024 investigation by the website openDemocracy also found that just 27 per cent of 93 rape cases tried at courts martial resulted in a guilty verdict, compared with 75 per cent of civilian rape trials.

In 2016, Lance Corporal Trimaan 'Harry' Dhillon, then 26, murdered 24-year-old Alice Ruggles by cutting her throat with a carving knife. 

Dhillon had previously been convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend but had been allowed to remain in the Army with no formal record on his file. He was jailed for a minimum of 22 years.

A spokesman for the MoD said:

'Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has no place in our Armed Forces.

'These allegations are deeply concerning and we encourage anyone who has experienced domestic abuse to report it to the Service Police or civilian police.

'We are taking action to give greater confidence to those reporting criminal behaviour and step up support across Defence.

'This includes stronger measures in the Armed Forces Bill to protect victims, our Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce, and our Victim Witness Care Unit.

'Defence has significantly strengthened its approach to preventing and responding to domestic abuse, including independent investigation of serious offences and specialist, independent support for victims. 

'We also recognise there is more to do, and we are committed to continuing to improve.'