Man Testifies Against Marine in Beating Case

A Marine reservist accused of beating Iraqi prisoners last year said he treated inmates at his civilian job at a federal prison in New York the same way, a key prosecution witness testified Monday during a court-martial.

John Hennagin, who retired from the Marines for medical reasons, testified during the trial of Sgt. Gary Pittman that he confronted Pittman about putting his knee in the stomachs of two Iraqis, including a local cleric.

Pittman said prisoners were treated the same way in the federal system as they were at the prisoner-of-war compound in Iraq, Hennagin testified.

Pittman, 40, has been accused of kicking a 52-year-old Iraqi man who later died. His court-martial is believed to be the first stemming from the death of a U.S. military prisoner in Iraq. If convicted of assault and dereliction of duty, he faces up to two years in military prison.