Wikileaks suspect's guards describe him crying in jail
Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos
FORT MEADE, Maryland (AFP) - Two of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning's former prison guards on Saturday denied abusing him in custody and described an incident where the US Army private suddenly burst into tears.
Manning, 24, who has been in military custody since his arrest on active service in Iraq more than two years ago, is accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of confidential US documents to the anti-secrecy website.
The soldier's defense team argues that the case should be dismissed because of unduly harsh treatment he received in custody. But on the fifth day of a pre-trial hearing at Fort Meade military base near the US capital, the prosecution maintained the military acted appropriately, taking evidence by telephone from his former guards.
Mr Joshua Tankersly and Mr Jonathan Cline recounted how when they were tasked with escorting Manning to a fitness room at Quantico brig on January 18, 2011, the detainee broke down under their close watch.
