Specsavers optician berated veteran for ‘invading countries and killing people’
‘We are not the enemy’
SPECSAVERS has suspended an optician after she allegedly berated a former soldier for ‘invading countries and killing people’.
Steve Leale, 54, who served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and the Balkans, said he was left ‘disgusted’ by the comments made after his eye test.
The former Warrant Officer Class 2 said the check-up at his local branch in Woodbridge, Suffolk, began with ‘general chitchat’, adding: ‘[The optician] explained to me she came to the UK many years ago to gain her qualification. I then told her I had been to her country on several occasions and thought it was a beautiful place.’
Mr Leale went on to reveal he was an ex- serviceman after being told he would need a hospital referral. His 32 years in the Army entitles him to priority access to NHS care.
However, when he asked the optician to make a note of his service on her referral paperwork, Mr Leale says she replied: ‘ For what? Invading countries all over the world and killing people?’
Mr Leale, who was a member of the Royal Hampshire Regiment and Adjutant General’s Corps, said the optician had displayed ‘ a lack of professional etiquette’.
He added: ‘I did my duty on behalf of all British citizens no matter what ethnicity, background or belief. But, to my horror, there are those that still fail to understand the principles of why we have the freedoms we enjoy today, and the sacrifices of those that allowed us to continue our life the way we do. Service personnel are not the enemy.’
Following the incident on February 15, the grandfather filed a complaint via the chain’s website and contacted its head office.
A Specsavers spokesman apologised and confirmed a member of staff had been suspended, pending a disciplinary hearing. They added: ‘The alleged comments do not represent the views of Specsavers, who are active supporters of Blind Veterans UK, a charity which cares for former military personnel with sight problems.’
All veterans are entitled to priority NHS care for conditions linked to their time in the Armed Forces.