Sailor admits he started mutiny in war

A former Royal navy sailor has confessed that he was responsible for staging a mutiny in 1944.

lan Lawton, 72, described how he and his fellow seamen on board a mine- sweeper twice attempted to drown an officer whose cowardice and negligence were endangering the lives of the crew.

Mr Lawton claims he and three others decided to push him overboard. Mr Lawton, who lives in Hull, volunteered for the Navy at the age of 17, in 1942.

He recalls the moment he tried to kill the first lieutenant of HMS Rosario, while minesweeping in the Adriatic. "I still have nightmares today but I felt it was time to tell the truth," he said. Mr Lawton said the officer used to hide when there were mines around. He and three others decided to act after shrapnel from an exploding mine killed a sailor. Mr Lawton makes his confession on the BBC 2 series, The Call of the Sea on Saturday. The MoD said it would not be pursuing the matter.