Clayton Matchee is assisted by family members as he arrives for a military hearing at Court of Queen's Bench in Saskatoon, Tuesday, July 23, 2002. (Jason Allen / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

CTV.ca News Staff  

Mon. Sep. 15 2008

Charges against a former Canadian soldier accused of torturing and murdering a Somali teen while on a peacekeeping mission in 1993 have been withdrawn, military officials said Monday.

Master Cpl. Clayton Matchee had been charged with the crimes after Shidane Abukar Arone, 16, was killed in March 1993 while Canadian troops were stationed on a humanitarian mission in Somalia .

"The decision to withdraw the charges in this case was based on public interest considerations," Lt.-Col. Bruce MacGregor, deputy director of military prosecutions, said in a release.

"These included the fact that Mr. Matchee has a permanent brain injury and will never be fit to stand trial."

MacGregor added that Matchee, who has had extended stays in hospital, "does not a pose a significant threat to the community."

Arone's murder sent shockwaves through the Canadian military and underscored accusations of ingrained violence and racism among Canadian soldiers.

The affair also made headlines because of the way it was handled by military officials, who were criticized for downplaying the incident and covering up its severity.

Charges of second-degree murder and torture

On March 16, 1993, Arone was arrested trying to steal from a Canadian supply camp and put under Matchee's watch.

While in custody, Arone was beaten, burned and suffocated to death, according to military reports. Other soldiers later posed and snapped photos with Arone's bludgeoned and limp body.

Matchee was arrested two days later and placed under military custody, where he tried to hang himself with a string from his coat.

Though he survived, Matchee was left with extensive brain damage.

An investigation implicated other soldiers and found that Arone's screams would have been clearly heard throughout the base.

In April 1994, a court martial ruled that Matchee was not fit to stand trial on the charges because of the brain damage, and he was transferred to a hospital in North Battleford , Sask.

Source: CTV, Sept 15, 2008

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