‘Give heroes more help in Civvy Street’
FORCES veterans need more help adjusting to Civvy Street, says MP Sir Mike Penning – a former acting lance corporal.
He said: “We ask them to do unbelievable things but don’t prepare them very well to come out.
“If you went in at 16 and you were an infantryman there are very little skills you walk out of that door with, including life skills.”
Sir Mike urged government help as he spoke at the launch of Exfor+ CIC, a charity set up by former Royal Marine Simon Adams to help veterans.
He added: “Many of my colleagues left with absolutely no support. I can’t understand that.”
The dad went on: “He was there, lounging around, boasting about his money and his cars and his big house, how he’d been a football coach in the US.
“He was full of himself. But he only told half the story didn’t he? He forgot to mention that he was a paedophile who’d done two stints in jail.
“He loved sunbathing, tanning himself up, sitting round the pool, watching the kids. I’d take the kids to the beach but my wife would stay chatting to him.
“Before this we were a happy family. I never thought she would go for him.
“He was an old man, he wasn’t even good looking. He had this young lad with him, in his mid 20s, who he said was his carer. He’d carry his bags and drive if they went out.
“I didn’t have a clue what Bennell really was. He was just ‘Barry’ from the holiday.”
The dad, a delivery driver from North Yorks, later found out his wife had been secretly contacting Bennell on their return and once visited him on the pretence of going Christmas shopping in London.
She denied cheating. But then the dad came home to find a note saying: “I’ve gone and I won’t be coming back.”
The dad recalled: “She dropped the kids at school and said ‘something awful is going to happen today, but don’t worry, everything will