A colleague was nearly fatally shot by a special forces soldier in a close-range incident where the victim was struck seven times. The incident occurred during a training exercise in Wiltshire, where live ammunition was mistakenly used instead of blanks, resulting in severe injuries to Soldier A who had to be medically discharged due to the trauma.
During the court proceedings, Lieutenant Colonel Emma Whiting emotionally read out Soldier A’s statement, emphasizing that the victim narrowly escaped death due to wearing body armor. The court revealed that the shooter, identified as Soldier B, negligently loaded his assault rifle with the wrong ammunition in the dark, leading to the unfortunate shooting.
As a result of the safety failures and the mix-up between live rounds and blanks, Soldier B received a suspended prison sentence and was ordered to compensate Soldier A. The court highlighted the lack of proper safety protocols, including the cancellation of a safety briefing and the confusion between live ammo and blanks due to their similar appearance.
Soldier B, an experienced serviceman, explained that he hastily loaded his weapon during the exercise, mistakenly believing he had separated the live ammo from the blanks. Despite not intending to take a shooting role, he ended up causing significant harm to Soldier A, who suffered multiple injuries requiring extensive surgeries and reconstruction.
Judge England remarked that while Soldier B fired 23 live rounds during the exercise, it was the final seven shots that resulted in life-altering injuries for Soldier A. The court noted the gravity of the incident and the impact it had on both soldiers involved.