Overview
- Bulford Military Court imposed a six-month suspended sentence and ordered £5,000 compensation after a guilty plea to negligent performance of duty.
- During a January 2019 nighttime hostage exercise, the shooter reloaded in the dark and mistakenly used live ammunition instead of blanks on his first training with the elite unit.
- The victim suffered wounds to the chest, abdomen and arms, lost 90% of a median nerve, underwent multiple reconstructive surgeries, developed PTSD and was medically discharged.
- Judge Jane England found 23 live rounds were fired during the drill, with the last seven causing the life-changing injuries after colleagues initially thought the screams were part of role-play.
- The court heard a planned safety briefing was cancelled and blank and live magazines looked near-identical, while identities, unit and location remain classified and the shooter later apologized in hospital.