UK government reviews why police ceding criminal cases to US military

Unfortunately this is nothing new in other countries with US-military presense either. The US is very protective of their citizens. When it comes to military there’s an extra incentive to “protect” the reputation of the US and their military.

US (military) courts can provide harsher sentences than most European countries. In reality it’s worse for victims and their families if American procedural rules result in offenders getting off with significantly lighter sentences or even acquittals because investigators have flouted those rules. I don’t know about statics concerning this topic - I only remember when media reports uncover such cases, where crimes like rape and manslaughter/murder were committed. There have been incidents in Germany, Italy, UK and Japan that come to mind.

One of the main problems result from different procedural rules in countries. If the first steps of an investigation were led by the local authorities their results (including a perpetrator’s confession) may then be ruled inadmissable as evidence in a US trial.

It seems like a better idea to try these individuals in the countries where the crimes were committed, especially if investigations were started by local law enforcement.