How can this be justified?

A young Iraqi has recieved £2m compensation after being accidentally shot by a British Soldier.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/15/wiraq115.xml

Ryan Wilson has recieved £2m compensation after a drug trial went wrong.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3753123.ece

These sums are way way higher than anything a British Serviceman could expect if injured in combat.

Under the current compensation scheme, the maximum payout an individual can receive is £285,000 and

many soldiers do not even receive that, despite suffering horrific injuries.

Do you think this is right?:doze:

The “Law is an Ass” is the truth. I find it utterly appalling that people who put their lives in line for country in line of duty get sod all. They should be getting a clear and fair payout.

Not fair :angry:

Absolute disgrace - no question about it:angry:

makes my blood boil :crazy:

It’s not changed since people started fighting! I swear to god neither the UK or the States thought for one minute about the cost of aftercare for our servicemen and women. I bet there’s a smallprint clause in their contracts that says any injury sustained through battle is a consequence of their job and does not entitle them to any more than the statutory compensation.
Makes my blood boil!!

Not fair but then neither is the present Ghurka situation.

As said, it seems as if anyone who’s prepared to serve this country is treated badly.

the worlds gone upside down!
should never become embroiled in that conflict, its Vietnam all over again

It’s why most people in the services get private schemes just incase something happens on op’s, a sad, sad fact of how the services are treated.

Goes back even further than the compensation.

From “the horses mouth” I’m told that a lot of the special forces guys are buying their personal kit from their own pocket as the MoD stuff is seriously sub standard.

We now have a Coroner’s Court saying that sending armed forces into battle with defective equipment amounts to “unlawful killing”. (O.K. that’s not quite accurate, but pretty much it.)

The whole situation is a crock of S***, and that’s before we get on to the legality of the action.

Seems like we are back to the standards of the Napoleonic Wars. The peasant farmers got paid, the wounded soldiers got paid off with a pittance.

Oldguy.

I can verify that. Everybody buys their own kit, not just the SF guys. I couldn’t get a replacement pair of boots for nearly three years, because I had a common size of boot. Ended up buying my own pair after the first couple of months, but was then told that if I had an accident (Broken ankle, slip off a tank etc…) I wouldn’t be covered by Army insurance policies, due to the fact that I was’nt wearing regulation boots! Also spent money on most of my other gear, mainly for comfort or the fact that the issued kit wasn’t up to scratch or squaddie proof.

It’s a sad state of affairs when you are scared to do your job for fear of being dragged into court by people who have been shooting at you! I know that isn’t the case in the story above, but it is happening! Severe lack of support from the government on all sorts of issues, and it would take me a week to list half of them! :angry:

The kit issue goes back quite a way.

I recall that during the Falklands the troops were using their own boots as the standard issue tended to give them “Trench Foot”.

Before taking people across the Assault course or on webbing runs I had to check for issue footware, anyone without it could not do it and would be reported, even if they were of a better standard then the issue crap (work that out) :w00t:! But things have change now and as long as they are of a good study standard, their is no problems.

Good to know that the MoD now endorses spending your own money on decent kit allows you to do the job they are supposed to be equipping you for.

Stand by last post(s). What a crock ** S***.

Oldguy.

Do I think paying £2 million pounds to two people whose lives have been destroyed, one by an accidental shooting in a war that should never have happened, and another in a drug trial that nearly killed him and has left him severely disabled for the rest of his life is fair? The answer is a resounding YES!!

Do I think it’s fair that British servicemen and women are under equipped and under supported, during and after any kind of conflict they have been involved in, then absolutely NOT.

However I don’t think you can really compare the above two cases with the way our service personnel are treated. Service personnel go to war because it’s part of their job and because Government’s are in a position to order them to go to another country and fight a war based on economics, rather than on humanitarian grounds.

The whole thing stinks but sadly I doubt it will ever change! :crazy:

Sad, but true.

It was ever thus but does that make it right? Or fair.

No way. I have no particular problem with the payout to innocent parties and (sort of) accept the fact that a persons elected job carries recognised risks.

It’s the disparity of compensation that makes me mad.

Oldguy.

Indeed, war is young men dying and old men talking…

I am not applauding this £2m one bit, but the soldier dropped his weapon which ND’d (Negligent Discharge), £250 fine for a blank and £500 for Live. The task force also have a duty of care to all involved that being Iraqi enemy or Iraqi civi, Afghan enemy or Afghan civi or Nazi enemy or German civi…get the picture. As for military clothing we are provided with below standard boots. They are man made leather, reinforced cardboard crap. Without your feet you aint going anywhere and the issue boots are inadequate. I could bleat on all day. Soldier 95 as it is called is ok, drys out quick when wet and lets in the cold air when it is windy. I am not going to bang on anymore it aint worth it.

The Gurkha’s should have the same rights to this ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ as every other service person involved with the British Armed Forces. They are great people, polite and are awesome cooks, friends and sportsmen. Just dont play the fruit machine after he has put his wages through it because it is his piggy bank.

As for the MOD, well they are a bunch of 9-5 half civi could not care less because i dont have to go to war flat dicks and half stale numb brained desk jockey service personnel that really need to stop spending £Furkin Billions on jump jet projectiles.

Get the bayonets fixed, traditional methods of combat are the best!

As for £2m, well, well, what can i say, well, well…you stupid low life two faced back stabbing traitors.

Absolute disgrace - no question about it:angry

WHAT ABOUT THE SERVICEMAN WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED OR WOUND.

WHERE IS THERE MONEY?

have no problem with the poor iraqi kid getting a massive payout, he didnt choose to be in a warzone, he was born there and will now have a hard time of it thanks to his injuries

but the stingy and insulting payouts to our armed forces are a disgrace, i could understand smaller payouts than civilians if there was a well funded health service dedicated to veterans supporting them throughout their lives, but there isnt one :angry: