A special forces soldier has been given a suspended prison sentence after he accidentally shot a comrade seven times with live ammunition instead of using blanks during a training exercise.
The serviceman, named only as Soldier B, mistook live rounds for blanks while reloading his assault rifle in a rush in the dark, a military court heard.
He had failed to pack them separately as he “didn’t want to be the last person ready” for the hostage drill in January 2019, he told the court martial, according to The Sun.
The victim, named as Soldier A, was hit in the abdomen, chest and arms. He suffered life-changing injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder and was medically discharged.
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Soldier B was an experienced member of the special forces but the drill was his first time training with the unit, Bulford military court in Wiltshire heard.
He told the court that he had not expected to play a “shooting role” in the exercise, which took place after dark, with the area lit by street lights.
In the drill, Soldier B was asked to guard a conference room where a number of “civilians” were being held hostage by Soldier A, who was playing an enemy role. When Soldier A “opened fire”, Soldier B loaded his gun, assuming that he had packed the live ammunition in a separate compartment to the blanks.
Lieutenant Colonel Whiting, for the prosecution, told the court: “He failed to properly check the magazine matter before inserting it.”
He added: “As Soldier B went past Soldier A, he saw blood burst from his forearm.”
The court heard that Soldier A’s screams were initially assumed to be part of the roleplay.
Soldier A underwent extensive reconstruction surgery on his left arm and lost 90 per cent of his median nerve, which helps to move the forearm, wrist, hand and fingers, the court heard.
Lieutenant Colonel Emma Whiting read out the victim’s impact statement to the court, in which he said: “My injuries have changed my life and will continue to have an impact.”
He added: “There is no doubt, if I hadn’t been wearing my body armour, I would have been shot dead.”
Soldier A had decided to wear the armour — which was not compulsory for the exercise — because it made other equipment he had to carry fit better.
Soldier B was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence after admitting to performing a duty negligently. He was also ordered to pay Soldier A £5,000 in compensation.
Assistant Judge Advocate General Jane England found that Soldier B had fired 23 live rounds in the course of the exercise but it was the “last seven rounds that caused the life-changing injuries”.
However, the judge said that the soldier’s culpability had been reduced by several failings by the unit, including its decision to cancel a safety briefing.
The court also heard how the magazines containing the blanks looked almost identical to those containing the live ammunition.
The soldiers’ identities have been withheld for national security reasons, as well as their unit and the location of the drill.