DOZENS of military personnel were found guilty of going absent without leave (Awol) last year, new figures from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reveal.

Forty-nine troops were convicted of desertion, Awol or malingering at courts martial in 2018 – a small increase on the previous year.

No-one was cleared, and almost all were from the army rather than the navy or air force.

The overwhelming majority of disaffected troops, around 90 per cent, were from the very lowest ranks – suggesting some squaddies are disillusioned with the reality of military life.

War veteran Joe Glenton, who refused to return to Afghanistan, told the Morning Star: “Soldiers know the risk of going Awol so they don’t do it lightly. 

“The actual number was probably much higher but these are the most persistent ones.

“The fact that these are mostly young guys in the army suggests there was some kind of failure with their welfare.”

The punishments ranged from “admonishment and a £600 fine” to 16 months in detention.

Twenty personnel were booted out of the armed forces altogether.

The new figures show that over 400 troops were hauled before the court martial system last year.

More than a tenth of defendants faced charges of going Awol or desertion.

Among the more sinister cases in the database were a dozen people charged with child porn offences, with only one found not guilty.

The cases included a sailor from the destroyer HMS Diamond, “a jewel in the naval crown,” who was found guilty of inciting “a child to engage in sexual activity.”

The offender was dismissed from the Royal Navy in disgrace and given an eight-month suspended sentence.

In another trial, a corporal was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment for three counts of sexually assaulting a pre-teen child and a further three counts of “possessing indecent photographs of a child.”

The official data comes as the MoD is under pressure to root out criminality within its ranks.

On Wednesday, it announced a probe after a video emerged of paratroopers using a Jeremy Corbyn portrait for target practice.

Although the data does not list any offences in 2018 for far-right activity, it does show that two members of the Parachute Regiment were convicted of battery and wounding with intent.

There have been growing concerns about infiltration of the military by neonazi groups like National Action, with a veteran jailed for membership of the banned group last year.