N HEAVENS (letters, June 19) claims that my remarks were inaccurate and ill-considered in pointing out that soldiers could now face life imprisonment from going AWOL.

However, his letter misrepresents what I said, and he is also inaccurate about the legal distinction between AWOL and desertion.

In fact, all absent soldiers are classed as AWOL until convicted of desertion.

These are serious questions of public policy, and soldiers' welfare, and the cheap jibes by N Heavens get us nowhere.

I never said that life imprisonment was mandatory but the maximum sentence has been raised to life, the act singles out those soldiers found guilty of deserting with intention to avoid occupying another country.

The crime of desertion was already a serious one where soldiers could go to prison, the appalling new development is they can now face imprisonment for life.

Soldiers have a right under Queen's regulations to object on conscientious grounds to particular military actions, yet the charity AtEase reports that soldiers are routinely denied this option in practice.

Not knowing where to turn some soldiers go AWOL rather than go to Iraq.

We have a duty of care for our young men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces.

They have joined voluntarily, but that should not make them slaves.

A NEWMAN Secretary Swindon Stop The War Coalition