OSNABRUECK, Jan 19: British soldiers accused of abusing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners were only following orders that their detainees be "worked hard", defence lawyers told a military court on Wednesday.

The defence began cross-examining witnesses at the trial of Corporal Daniel Kenyon and lance corporals Darren Larkin and Mark Cooley a day after published photos, some including the soldiers, appeared to show naked detainees.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair told parliament on Wednesday he found the pictures "shocking and appalling". The case echoes the scandal involving US soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, which severely tarnished Washington's image in the Arab world and elsewhere.

Joseph Giret, a civilian lawyer for Daniel Kenyon, told the court his client was following orders to round up looters pilfering food stores near Basra in the weeks after the March 2003 invasion to oust Saddam Hussein.

Under a plan called "Ali Baba", troops were told that looters were to be "worked hard" to repair damage and deter further pilfering. "The whole reason Kenyon is in the dock stems from those who gave the order for Ali Baba," Mr Giret said.

On Tuesday the prosecution said the order was against international law preventing civilians from being detained and forced to work, but the prosecutors said soldiers' actions went far beyond it.

Colonel Nicholas Mercer, a senior legal officer stationed in the Gulf during the invasion, told the court the soldiers had received specific guidance that they were not to obey orders that were clearly illegal and were to treat civilians humanely. But Mr Giret, the defence lawyer, said any lower ranked soldier would be reluctant to disobey orders, even if they were illegal. -Reuters