`Joanne' confined to barracks

London - A British male sergeant major, who hopes to start the new year as a woman, has been confined to barracks pending an …

London - A British male sergeant major, who hopes to start the new year as a woman, has been confined to barracks pending an army investigation into his revelations to the media.

Sgt-Maj Joseph Rushton, a 37-year-old soldier who started taking hormone treatment to change his gender nearly two years ago, said that he believed he would stay in the army. He plans to become Joanne after a sex change.

The soldier, who has married four times and has one son, could face disciplinary action if it was found he breached military rules.