Army at war with injured soldier who is suing for £2.5m
A FORMER soldier who smashed her collarbone falling from her horse is suing the Ministry of Defence for £2.5million.
But Debbie O’Connell – who became a double gold medal-winning para-athlete after her accident – has been accused of faking her claim by Army lawyers.
Miss O’Connell, 34, served as a gunner in the King’s Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery but had to give up her military career after falling during training for ceremonial duties in 2015, when her horse threw her off. She shattered her left collarbone in four places, leading to massive nerve damage in her arm.
Although ‘devastated’ by her injuries, she rebuilt her life after being discharged from the Army in 2017, competing at cycling and running during the 2018 Invictus Games and winning two gold medals on the opening day.
Miss O’Connell, from Lincoln, is now claiming her injuries wrecked her military career and left her struggling with chronic pain and disabilities.
But MoD lawyers are accusing her of ‘fundamental dishonesty’ and say they have a secret surveillance video taken by a private investigator in an attempt to prove she has faked part of her claim, the High Court in London heard.
Miss O’Connell and her lawyers have not yet had a chance to respond to the footage, her barrister pointed out. At a brief pretrial hearing, Judge Richard Davison said: ‘One might say that the whole case turns on this video evidence, because if she is found to be fundamentally dishonest on the basis of that her whole case will go up in a puff of smoke.’ The King’s Troop is a ceremonial unit known for driving teams of six horses pulling cannon from the First World War era during highprofile public displays and on state occasions.
Miss O’Connell had been in the Army since 2010, first as a reservist and then as a regular soldier.
As well as winning gold as a para-athlete, she has established a post-Army career as a funeral director.
She now has hopes of being sponsored by England Athletics to train full-time for the next Paralympics, her barrister, Nigel Lewers, told the court.
Miss O’Connell, who is also a fitness instructor, studied forensic science at university before joining the Royal Horse Artillery.
‘All turns on the video evidence’