SAS pair acquitted over march deaths
TWO SAS servicemen have been acquitted of charges in relation to a march on the Brecon Beacons in which three reservists died.
The men, known only as 1A and 1B, denied negligently performing a duty by failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of candidates taking part in the exercises.
Lance Corporal Craig Roberts and L/Cpl Edward Maher were pronounced dead on the Welsh mountain range after suffering heatstroke on July 13, 2013. Corporal James Dunsby died at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital from multiple organ failure more than two weeks later.
1A and 1B, whose identities are protected by an anonymity order, went on trial at the Court Martial Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire, last Monday.
1A was a captain and the training officer in charge of the march, while 1B was a warrant officer and the chief instructor on the exercise. Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett ruled the defendants had no case to answer and directed the five-person panel to acquit them of the charge against them. He told the families of the three reservists: “The allegations of negligent performance of duty were only a small part in the overall failings – the deaths occurred because of the systemic failures within Joint Forces Command.
“Of course, the system is made up of people but there have been successive people in A-Block and within the chain of command who have failed to address their minds to the real risks involved in exercising in extreme temperatures, and who have failed to ensure that those delivering the training or invigilating the test were properly trained in all aspects.”
An anonymity order protects the identity of a number of people and organisations that feature in the court martial.
This includes “MoD A-Block”, which refers to an organisation within Joint Forces Command.
Thirty-seven reservists and 41 regular troops took part in the exercise.
The march was 16 miles as the crow flies – though those taking part were expected to cover almost 18.5 miles – and had to be completed in eight hours 45 minutes.
Candidates carried a a backpack weighing between 22 and 27kg as well as a dummy rifle.
Those who voluntarily withdrew from the march, or were withdrawn on medical grounds, failed.
Temperatures reached 26.3C from midday on the day of the march and had risen to 28.3C by 4pm.
Prosecuting, Louis Mably QC confirmed that he would not seek leave to appeal the judge’s decision.
Speaking outside court, Bryher Dunsby said she still missed her husband, Corporal Dunsby, every day.
“This court martial has revealed the shocking reality that there is still no official guidance for those conducting endurance training marches in the British Army on heat illness even five years on,” Mrs Dunsby said. “This is beyond unacceptable.”