Axing brutal SAS hike that killed three men was ‘too much bother’
Inquest told of ‘red tape excuse’ Lack of water on blistering day Victim wasn’t found for 2½hrs
THREE soldiers died after a gruelling SAS selection march in blistering heat which officers would not postpone because it would create ‘too much paperwork’, an inquest heard.
Army reservists Lance Corporal Craig Roberts, 24, Lance Corporal Edward Maher, 31, and Corporal James Dunsby, also 31, suffered fatal heat exhaustion in temperatures of nearly 27C (80F).
Grieving mother Margaret Roberts told how she and her husband were met by a senior officer in the hospital moments after seeing their son’s body.
When she asked why the 16-mile march around Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons, could not have been postponed on one of the hottest days of the year, she was told ‘that would be too much paperwork’. In a statement read by her solicitor, Mrs Roberts said: ‘We were so angry with this answer. Not only had we just seen our beautiful boy lying in the mortuary but now we were being told the march wasn’t cancelled to save on paperwork.
‘We wonder how much paperwork the MoD has had to do since that day.’
An inquest into the tragedy on July 13, 2013, heard yesterday that L/Cpl Roberts was pronounced dead on the mountain, while L/Cpl Maher died the same day in Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil.
Cpl Dunsby was airlifted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, but died two weeks later. The opening day of the inquest in Solihull, West Midlands, also heard:
The three men – whose families said they had prepared extensively for the march – were among 78 soldiers on the march, including 37 reservists,
Despite the sweltering temperatures, the men had to complete the course within 8hrs 48mins, carrying 49lbs of their own kit,
Thirteen of the soldiers, including the three who died, failed to finish due to heat exhaustion. All were reservists,
The soldiers all wore GPS tracking devices but it took almost two and a half hours for L/Cpl Maher to be found. MoD officials gave police no explanation for this.
Soldiers were encouraged to carry at least five litres of water but were recommended to drink one litre an hour – and could only refill their bottles at three of five checkpoints.
Some of the reservists had been allowed to participate, despite missing a practice run and a briefing on dealing with the heat.
L/Cpl Maher’s father, Edward Maher, questioned why the test had to take place in such heat – and that he believes lack of acclimatisation was a ‘major factor’ in the deaths. His son had been a full-time soldier but left in 2009 and rejoined as a reservist.
He said: ‘Edward had faced danger and the risk of death during his military career. He accepted that working with special forces would bring those risks, but he didn’t expect he would die on a training exercise whilst under the supervision of his own officers.’
The inquest heard that the soldiers cover a route, spread over 2,907ft Pen y Fan and the sur- rounding rugged moorland. Although the ‘as the crow flies’ distance is 16.4miles, soldiers are left to plot their own routes. The inquest was told all three men had initially made good progress.
But Detective Constable Dave Gilbert said data from L/ Cpl Maher’s GPS tracker showed he may have become ‘disorientated’ after his penultimate checkpoint.
It showed he had not moved since 2.26pm but it was not until 4.10pm that officers monitoring the devices noticed an ‘anomaly with his position’. Instructors found him at 4.55pm.
Mr Maher asked: ‘Was an explanation given to you as to why it took so long to get to him?’ DC Gilbert replied: ‘None whatsoever.’
The inquest heard L/Cpl Roberts was found between the same checkpoints. Data showed he had twice activated his ‘ man down’ emergency button on his tracker at 3.31pm and 3.37pm. He was found by instructors at 4pm.
Cpl Dunsby, heading around the course in the opposite direction, had lost time climbing to his penultimate checkpoint on Pen y Fan. Data showed he started the descent ‘very rapidly’ before collapsing at 3.26pm. Instructors noticed he was not moving at 4.10pm. The inquest continues.
A Royal Marine officer recruit who died on a 30-mile exercise on Dartmoor on Thursday is thought to have had a heart attack.
He is said to have been exhausted near the end of the course and helped by an instructor but a source said: ‘It appears at some point that he had a seizure.’
The Marine, 29, was described as ‘very fit’ and was ‘ doing well’ in the 32-week training programme.
‘Faced danger and the risk of death’