Abu Ghraib figure England burned in prison mishap

[sonz]

By Adam Tanner

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Lynndie England, the U.S. soldier incarcerated for abusing detainees in Iraq, was badly burned in a prison kitchen accident, her mother said on Thursday.

England, who was pictured holding a leash to a naked, hooded Iraqi inmate at the Abu Ghraib prison, was sentenced in September to three years for her part in the abuse scandal that sparked worldwide outrage. She is now confined to the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar in San Diego, California.

England works in the prison's kitchen, where she suffered second- and possibly third-degree burns from being splattered with grease over her chest as she removed chickens from a tall oven, her mother, Terrie England, said in an interview.

"She was in severe pain," she said of the December 14 incident. "Everybody in the prison heard the scream."

Terrie England, who is caring for England's infant during her incarceration, faulted prison officials for not giving better treatment during a visit to the emergency room.

"They gave her nothing," she said. "When this happened I was furious. ... To think they give you nothing for pain."

Brewster Schenck, a spokesman for Consolidated Brig Miramar, confirmed England had been assigned to the kitchen, where inmates prepare and serve food mostly for other prisoners. He declined to discuss the accident or her medical condition.

Terrie England said the arrival of her daughter at the military prison caused a lot of curiosity, including autograph requests. "It wasn't just prisoners, it was guards and everything," she said.

She said Lynndie England had been taking a Bible prayer class in prison and telephoning home from prison about once a week.

In a September interview with Reuters, England blamed her involvement in the Abu Ghraib scandal on then-lover Charles Graner, who is serving a 10-year sentence on abuse charges and is the father of her baby.