Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
By Paul Stokes
Last Updated: 7:43pm BST 09/04/2008
A former soldier who executed four members of his family with a smuggled handgun has been jailed for at least 15 years.
David Bradley, 43, shot his uncle, aunt and two cousins with the silenced 7.65mm pistol he obtained from a Croat in return for a pack of cigarettes while serving in Bosnia.
Bradley was taken in by his victims at 17
He was said to have been left mentally ill as a result of serving during the troubles in Northern Ireland.
Bradley, who became a cannabis-smoking loner, will only be transferred to prison once doctors deem him sane enough to leave a top security mental hospital.
A judge imposed four life sentences today before the Home Secretary ordered Bradley be detained at Rampton for indefinite treatment.
The severity of his illness means it may never be safe for him to be released.
Bradley, a bachelor, was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder when carried out the five-hour killing spree at the family home 21 months ago.
He was said to have been plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of atrocities he witnessed while serving as a private with a Royal Artillery unit in Ulster.
Paul Sloan QC told Newcastle upon Tyne Crown Court, he was exposed to then common-place shootings and bombings during a tour of duty.
He said: “He was the target of bricks and stones thrown by rioters. On one occasion a grenade was thrown at his squad but failed to explode.
"He witnessed the gruesome mutilation of a rioter when a bomb exploded in hand before it was thrown. And later in Bosnia he came under fire.”
Bradley never told military authorities about his problems but found himself living in constant fear, unable to sleep and resorting to solo binge-drinking and smoking cannabis to relax.
He was discharged from the Army in 1995 with an exemplary record but was unable to find a job.
He sought medical help but failed to take prescribed drugs.
Last Updated: 7:43pm BST 09/04/2008
A former soldier who executed four members of his family with a smuggled handgun has been jailed for at least 15 years.
David Bradley, 43, shot his uncle, aunt and two cousins with the silenced 7.65mm pistol he obtained from a Croat in return for a pack of cigarettes while serving in Bosnia.
Bradley was taken in by his victims at 17
He was said to have been left mentally ill as a result of serving during the troubles in Northern Ireland.
Bradley, who became a cannabis-smoking loner, will only be transferred to prison once doctors deem him sane enough to leave a top security mental hospital.
A judge imposed four life sentences today before the Home Secretary ordered Bradley be detained at Rampton for indefinite treatment.
The severity of his illness means it may never be safe for him to be released.
Bradley, a bachelor, was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder when carried out the five-hour killing spree at the family home 21 months ago.
He was said to have been plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of atrocities he witnessed while serving as a private with a Royal Artillery unit in Ulster.
Paul Sloan QC told Newcastle upon Tyne Crown Court, he was exposed to then common-place shootings and bombings during a tour of duty.
He said: “He was the target of bricks and stones thrown by rioters. On one occasion a grenade was thrown at his squad but failed to explode.
"He witnessed the gruesome mutilation of a rioter when a bomb exploded in hand before it was thrown. And later in Bosnia he came under fire.”
Bradley never told military authorities about his problems but found himself living in constant fear, unable to sleep and resorting to solo binge-drinking and smoking cannabis to relax.
He was discharged from the Army in 1995 with an exemplary record but was unable to find a job.
He sought medical help but failed to take prescribed drugs.
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