BlackRain
06-29-2004, 12:08 PM
TANK CREW COULD FACE WAR DEATH PROSECUTION
11:00 - 29 June 2004
Four British servicemen could face charges of unlawful killing over the death of a Cornish-born tank commander in Iraq, it has emerged.
Sgt Steven Roberts, from Wadebridge, was the first British soldier to die in action in Iraq, just days after the war started.
His death sparked furious controversy after it emerged that he had been told to give up body armour that would have saved his life, because there was not enough to go round.
It had originally been thought that Sgt Roberts, 33, was killed by an Iraqi insurgent while trying to quell a civilian riot near Al Zubayr, south-west of Basra, on March 24 last year.
However investigations have now revealed that he was the victim of so-called "friendly fire".
An unnamed "senior source within the MoD" has told a national newspaper that inquiries by the Army Prosecuting Authority had established that the rounds which killed Sgt Roberts came from a British Challenger II tank.
The crew of the tank, from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, will be told within two weeks whether they will face criminal charges over the incident, the source claimed.
If so, it is expected they will face trial before a military court martial.
The Ministry of Defence was yesterday unable to confirm whether any charges were imminent.
A spokesman said: "The case is now with the Army Prosecuting Authority, and because of that we are unable to comment on who is being charged with what because it is not our decision.
"Prosecution is one of many things that could happen, but it is total speculation at this stage. I really cannot comment any further."
Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram also appeared to hint that legal action was expected. He said: "As the findings are now subject to legal consideration, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."
Sgt Roberts' widow Samantha, who has fought a lengthy campaign to find the truth about her husband's death, said she had not been informed that prosecutions were on the cards.
She said it would be "unusual" for the MoD to allow such information to reach the public realm before informing her, as they had kept her well informed in recent months.
Mrs Roberts, from Shipley, West Yorkshire, declined to comment on any legal action until she had details of the case.
But she said: "When all is said and done, he died because he didn't have his body armour, no matter who fired the shot."
Reports now suggest that it has been established that the bullets which hit Sgt Roberts and an Iraqi man standing by him came from the 7.62mm guns fitted on Challengers.
The unnamed MoD source was quoted as saying: "We are prepared for charges to be confirmed in the next fortnight.
"This has looked inevitable for quite a while, since it first became clear that he could not have been killed by any weapon normally seen on the streets in Iraq. It is inconceivable that the Army Prosecuting Authority could have come up with any other recommendation."
Liberal Democrat MP Paul Tyler, whose North Cornwall constituency includes Sgt Roberts' family home, said that any prosecution should not be allowed to divert attention from the more important issue of the failure to supply the soldier with essential protective gear.
Mr Tyler said: "When I took Mrs Samantha Roberts and other members of his family to meet Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, as long ago as January 19, we made it clear that the crucial issue was the failure to ensure that Sgt Roberts was properly equipped with life-saving body armour.
"Who fired the shots is far less important than the failures which made those shots fatal.
"For his Army colleagues to be placed in this position while ministers evade responsibility is hardly likely to improve morale, or to reassure service families."
Source: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?command=newPage&nodeId=142718&contentPK=10478879
11:00 - 29 June 2004
Four British servicemen could face charges of unlawful killing over the death of a Cornish-born tank commander in Iraq, it has emerged.
Sgt Steven Roberts, from Wadebridge, was the first British soldier to die in action in Iraq, just days after the war started.
His death sparked furious controversy after it emerged that he had been told to give up body armour that would have saved his life, because there was not enough to go round.
It had originally been thought that Sgt Roberts, 33, was killed by an Iraqi insurgent while trying to quell a civilian riot near Al Zubayr, south-west of Basra, on March 24 last year.
However investigations have now revealed that he was the victim of so-called "friendly fire".
An unnamed "senior source within the MoD" has told a national newspaper that inquiries by the Army Prosecuting Authority had established that the rounds which killed Sgt Roberts came from a British Challenger II tank.
The crew of the tank, from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, will be told within two weeks whether they will face criminal charges over the incident, the source claimed.
If so, it is expected they will face trial before a military court martial.
The Ministry of Defence was yesterday unable to confirm whether any charges were imminent.
A spokesman said: "The case is now with the Army Prosecuting Authority, and because of that we are unable to comment on who is being charged with what because it is not our decision.
"Prosecution is one of many things that could happen, but it is total speculation at this stage. I really cannot comment any further."
Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram also appeared to hint that legal action was expected. He said: "As the findings are now subject to legal consideration, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."
Sgt Roberts' widow Samantha, who has fought a lengthy campaign to find the truth about her husband's death, said she had not been informed that prosecutions were on the cards.
She said it would be "unusual" for the MoD to allow such information to reach the public realm before informing her, as they had kept her well informed in recent months.
Mrs Roberts, from Shipley, West Yorkshire, declined to comment on any legal action until she had details of the case.
But she said: "When all is said and done, he died because he didn't have his body armour, no matter who fired the shot."
Reports now suggest that it has been established that the bullets which hit Sgt Roberts and an Iraqi man standing by him came from the 7.62mm guns fitted on Challengers.
The unnamed MoD source was quoted as saying: "We are prepared for charges to be confirmed in the next fortnight.
"This has looked inevitable for quite a while, since it first became clear that he could not have been killed by any weapon normally seen on the streets in Iraq. It is inconceivable that the Army Prosecuting Authority could have come up with any other recommendation."
Liberal Democrat MP Paul Tyler, whose North Cornwall constituency includes Sgt Roberts' family home, said that any prosecution should not be allowed to divert attention from the more important issue of the failure to supply the soldier with essential protective gear.
Mr Tyler said: "When I took Mrs Samantha Roberts and other members of his family to meet Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, as long ago as January 19, we made it clear that the crucial issue was the failure to ensure that Sgt Roberts was properly equipped with life-saving body armour.
"Who fired the shots is far less important than the failures which made those shots fatal.
"For his Army colleagues to be placed in this position while ministers evade responsibility is hardly likely to improve morale, or to reassure service families."
Source: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?command=newPage&nodeId=142718&contentPK=10478879