"A special forces soldier has been handed a suspended jail sentence after a training exercise descended into disaster when he mistakenly fired live rounds instead of blanks, hitting a colleague seven times and leaving him with life-changing injuries. The shocking incident, which occurred during a hostage drill in January 2019, was detailed at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire, where the shooter, known only as Soldier B for security reasons, received a six-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay 5,000 compensation."
"Soldier A, the victim, was struck in the chest and arms and has since been medically discharged from the military with both severe physical injuries and post-traumatic stress. Reading his victim statement in court, Lieutenant Colonel Emma Whiting was moved to tears as she relayed his words. There is no doubt, if I hadn't been wearing my body armour, I would have been shot dead, Soldier A said."
A special forces soldier mistakenly loaded and fired live ammunition during a January 2019 hostage training drill, striking a colleague seven times and causing life-changing injuries. The injured soldier was hit in the chest and arms, later medically discharged with severe physical trauma and post-traumatic stress. The shooter, an experienced serviceman new to the elite unit, reloaded at speed in poor lighting and picked the wrong magazine, failing to check it. A planned safety briefing was cancelled and blank and live magazines were nearly identical. Multiple military failings reduced legal culpability; the shooter received a six-month suspended sentence and was ordered to pay 5,000 compensation.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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