UK: Friendly Fire Cost Soldier Leg in Iraq, Accused Got More in Disability Payments?

What an insult! Soldier who lost his leg in 'friendly fire' is paid £50,000 but the officer accused of shooting him gets £500,000 for the 'stress' of the inquiry
Daily Mail
By MARK NICOL DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT FOR THE MAIL
17 October 2015

CSgt Albert Thomson had his leg torn apart by 15 rounds on patrol in Iraq
Had his leg amputated in the field and was later awarded £50,000 by Army
Captain Thomas Henderson who shot him said machine gun was to blame
He was blamed then won an appeal and was awarded £500,000 for stress
Labour's Shadow Defence Minister Kevan Jones said it was an 'injustice'

Colour Sergeant Albert Thomson’s life was devastated when his left leg was torn apart by 15 machine-gun rounds fired at close range while he was on patrol in southern Iraq. He received a one-off payment of £50,000 for losing a lower limb, in line with Army tariffs for frontline injuries

A British Army officer accused of shooting another soldier in a friendly-fire incident has been secretly paid £500,000 in compensation for stress – ten times the sum received by his comrade whose leg was amputated after the tragic accident.

Colour Sergeant Albert Thomson’s life was devastated when his left leg was torn apart by 15 machine-gun rounds fired at close range while he was on patrol in southern Iraq. Battlefield surgeons removed his leg as they worked desperately to save his life.

He received a one-off payment of £50,000 for losing a lower limb, in line with Army tariffs for frontline injuries.

But by contrast, The Mail on Sunday can reveal the officer accused of firing the weapon, Captain Thomas ‘Tam’ Henderson, 48, has been awarded £500,000 in an out-of-court settlement after suing the Ministry of Defence for stress suffered following the blunder in March 2003.

Last night, Shadow Defence Minister Kevan Jones described the discrepancy between the payment as ‘an injustice’.
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