Closing arguments made in England abuse case

Prosecutors in Private Lynndie England’s prison abuse case portrayed her in closing arguments today as an eager participant with a “sick” sense of humour, while defence lawyers described her as a weak-minded pawn trying to appease a sadistic boyfriend.

A jury of Army officers was to start deliberating this afternoon. England, one of the most visible figures in the Abu Ghraib scandal, faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted on seven counts of conspiracy and maltreatment of detainees at the Iraq prison in 2003.