text: Sergeant Edwin Mee, 46, has been accused of raping and molesting 11 young women who wanted to join the forces . A war veteran who swapped the battlefield for a 'dull' job as an army recruiter 'raped young hopefuls because it made the job more exciting', a court heard today. Sergeant Edwin Mee, 46, is said to have abused his position of power while interviewing applicants by raping and molesting 11 young women who wanted to join the forces. The officer - known as 'Jock' - allegedly carried out the attacks on women aged from 15 to their early twenties between October 2010 and September 2011 at an Army careers centre in Croydon. The alleged victims, who were desperate for jobs, were often new to the country and unaware of their rights, Southwark Crown Court heard. Mee, who has served in war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, denies 17 counts of sexual assault, three counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration relating to 11 young cadets. Jurors were told earlier in the trial that one of the women, a virgin in her early 20s, fell pregnant after Mee raped her in a locked waiting room. An 18-year-old from Sierra Leone also claimed Mee raped her after saying he could help her get a visa. Prosecutor Rosina Cottage QC suggested 'risk taker' Mee who has fought in war zones across the world found interviewing recruits in Croydon 'dull'. 'But if he could use his position and manipulate it to take small risks at first and then bigger ones, it would make the job that much more exciting,' she said. 'Bullying, talking dirty to the young women, smacking bottoms and ultimately raping young women - he got away with it for a year or more. 'He obviously believed he would never get caught.' She said Mee believed he was the only 'real soldier' at the Mitcham Barracks Army Careers and Information Office in Croydon, south London. 'This case starts and finishes with Sergeant Jock, are you sure that he behaved the way the prosecution said or not - he is right at the centre of it all,' she said. He was British Army recruiting sergeant at Mitcham Barracks in Croydon (pictured) in the Careers and Information Office . 'He, of course, says he didn't do any of the violating, bullying and humiliating acts alleged against him. 'But there appears to be no good reason, or any reason, why any one of these women would lie - let alone 11 of them. 'What have you made of the evidence he gave and of the man whom you are going to be sitting in judgement? 'He is a man who is proud of his record in active service.' Jurors were told Mee thought little of his fellow recruiters, even if they were senior to him. 'He was the real soldier, he was the one who believed that he had the right to recruit those who would join the British Army,' said Ms Cottage. 'You may feel that was his attitude. With his promotion towards the end of 2010 did he come to believe in his own importance? 'Was he arrogant enough to believe that when he behaved in the way he did again and again with woman after woman that he had become so important within that office that they would not complain and even if they did, nobody else would believe them?' Mee, originally from Glasgow, joined the army when he was 24 and went on to serve tours of duty in Iraq - where he was attached to the Special Forces. By the time the allegations against him came to light he had acquired the rank of sergeant, and he was suspended in 2011. The court was told that Mee was medically discharged from the Army in April 2014. The alleged offences were initially investigated by the Royal Military Police, before the case was then handed to the Metropolitan Police. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
target: Sergeant Edwin Mee, 46, is accused of raping and molesting 11 hopefuls .
  Army recruiter is said to have abused power while interviewing applicants .
  Court heard Mee abused young women to make his job more 'exciting'
  Sergeant denied 17 counts of sexual assault and three counts of rape .