Injured scientist gets big payout

A British scientist who suffered life-changing injuries when a booby trap declared safe by military experts exploded in front of him has won a six-figure compensation payout from the Ministry of Defence.

Lee Peters, 51, feared he would bleed to death when the device, which had been left for seven days before it was tested after being deemed low priority by security, blew up.

The scientist was working in the MoD laboratory in Kandahar during the Afghan war in 2011 when he was asked to forensically test a suspicious package deemed safe for routine examinations. He suffered permanent damage to his eyesight and lost three fingers.