New Iraq abuse cases by British forces go to High Court 29 January 2013 Last updated at 04:10 New allegations of abuse by British troops in Iraq will be heard by the High Court later. Lawyers for 192 Iraqis will push for a public inquiry into British detention practices between 2003 and 2008. The court will decide whether mistreatment was systemic and whether an inquiry set up by the Ministry of Defence is sufficiently independent to investigate the allegations. The hearing before two judges is expected to last three days. Lawyers said they were still collecting allegations of abuse almost a decade since the invasion of Iraq, and had hundreds of further claims in the pipeline. As well as beatings, there are claims of hooding, sleep deprivation and sexual humiliation including being made to watch pornography. The Ministry of Defence has now paid out more than £15m to settle over 200 claims of mistreatment and unlawful detention, with many more being negotiated. But it argues that a wide-ranging public inquiry would be disproportionate and premature. Lawyers for the Iraqis say the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, created by the UK government, is investigating only individual cases, that the abuse was systemic and only a fully independent inquiry will satisfy the UK's international human rights obligations. Two judges sitting in London, Sir John Thomas (President of the Queen's Bench Division) and Mr Justice Silber, will hear the accusations. Ministry of Defence lawyers will oppose the application. It is the second legal challenge by law firm Public Interest Lawyers, which is representing the Iraqis.