Bravery row Army veteran sells medals for £140k
AN ARMY veteran at the centre of a bravery row has sold his medals, including the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, for £140,000.
Deacon Cutterham, 37, was a sergeant in the 1st Battalion, The Rifles, when he was awarded the honour – one level below the Victoria Cross.
He was leading a patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in 2011 when a grenade apparently landed in a ditch. He was said to have plunged his hand into the water, picked up the explosive and hurled it back moments before it exploded. He was recommended for the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by senior officers, who praised his courage in the heat of battle. The citation on the medal reads: ‘The action itself was utterly courageous... Cutterham’s gritty leadership and gallant act saved lives and inspired his men.’ Mr Cutterham, from Bristol, said: ‘Grenade came over the top. With that I shouted “Grenade” and then advanced on it, picked the grenade up and posted it. It went off as I pulled my hand away.’
But some of his former colleagues dispute his version of events – and claim the medal was ‘undeserved’.
One told the BBC: ‘No-one disputes that a grenade did go off that day. Everyone on Mr Cutterham’s patrol – and back at the base – said they heard an explosion.
‘We believe a grenade was thrown... but it was his.’ Another, who says he carried out an equipment check when the patrol returned to base, claimed there was a grenade missing.
Mr Cutterham said he was selling the cross and six other medals to fund his mother’s retirement to Spain.