Hero sells medal for £160k to get on to housing ladder
A SOLDIER who carried on fighting the Taliban despite being shot in the neck sold his prestigious bravery medal for almost £160,000 yesterday to help him to buy a house.
Lance Corporal Simon Moloney, 27, said although he was “incredibly proud” of his medals, parting with his Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) would give him the chance to get on the property ladder.
His medal was sold by London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb for a hammer price of £130,000. But with fees added, the overall price paid by the British buyer was £156,000 – a record for an Afghanistan CGC.
Mr Moloney, who left the Armed Forces last December, currently rents a house in St Albans, Herts – one of the most expensive places in Britain for first-time buyers.
The former sniper was awarded the CGC in July 2013 for fighting the Taliban in Helmand province for 90 minutes after he was nearly killed.
The bullet missed a vital artery and airway by millimetres.
A medic stemmed the bleeding and Mr Moloney was back on his feet minutes later in 104F (40C) heat, pinning down enemy snipers.
Mr Moloney said: “The money is life-changing for someone in my position and is purely to give me and my future family a better life.
“I will 100 per cent use it to get on the property ladder.”