MoD will pay £2m to boy accidentally shot in Basra

MoD will pay £2m to boy accidentally shot in Basra
Sarah Knapton
The Guardian, Tuesday April 15 2008

The Ministry of Defence is to pay a record £2m compensation to an Iraqi teenager left paralysed when he was accidentally shot by a British soldier.

The schoolboy, who has not been named, was 13 when he suffered severe spinal injuries following the accident in a camp in Basra in September 2003. Now 17, he needs round-the-clock care from specialist doctors in the UK.

The settlement is the highest the MoD has paid to an individual. A spokesman said it reflected the "height of the negligence" involved. The figure is expected to be finalised by the high court within weeks following a civil claim.

The payment is far higher than anything awarded to British troops injured in Iraq. Currently, the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme offers a maximum lump sum payment of £285,000 and a lifetime income.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/apr/15/military.iraq

They get health care in the UK but this does not seem right they are offered such a low lump sum.