Army slated over sniper who shot himself dead by accident
AN Army culture of ‘big boys’ rules’ contributed to the death of a trainee sniper who accidentally shot himself while resting his chin on the muzzle of his rifle, a report has found.
Lance Corporal Joe Spencer, 24, died during a live-fire exercise at RAF Tain in Ross-shire on November 1, 2016.
A damning report yesterday said a ‘series of errors, shortfalls and poor judgment’ had ended in his death, which was described as an ‘avoidable accident’.
The family of L/Cpl Spencer, of 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, said they were left ‘extremely disappointed’ by the report’s findings, adding that his death had left an ‘immeasurable chasm’ in their lives.
His partner Cherycce Connelly, 24, of Dundee, said errors made in the lead-up to his death were ‘needless, neglectful and selfish’.
She added: ‘Joe deserved better. He was not on active deployment in a war zone. He was in training where risk to life should have been minimal. Joe should have come home.’
The report said a culture within the Army known as ‘big boys’ rules’, which sees elite elements such as snipers afforded more trust and lower supervision, was a factor in his death.
It said the culture was ‘inappropriate’ as L/Cpl Spencer, who had been in the Army for five years, was among a group of students who were ‘mistakenly held in higher regard’ than their limited sniper experience merited.
L/Cpl Spencer, from Hampshire, was sheltering from the rain in a shipping container with others before taking part in a night-time live-fire exercise when he died.
He did not realise his rifle was loaded as he moved it around in a bid to keep warm, with his chin resting on the barrel and the butt on his boot, the report said.
It said it was likely the rifle fired the fatal shot to his head after becoming snagged on equipment on the floor of the container.
The report concluded L/Cpl Spencer, who had served in Afghanistan, accidentally left his rifle loaded after a drill was rushed so it finished before sunset.
Soldiers were given deficient instructions on unloading weapons, the report said, and there was ‘inadequate safety supervision, and poor command and control’.
The report also criticised the ad hoc organisation of the sniper training programme and the fact that no other soldiers challenged L/Cpl Spencer on the unsafe handling of his weapon. It said this was likely because he was held in high regard by his fellow soldiers and that there was a culture among snipers of accepting potentially unsafe practices.
The report said that if someone had challenged him on the way he was handling his weapon ‘the chain might have been broken and the accident prevented’.
It was highly critical of the culture of ‘big boys’ rules’, stating: ‘Students were mistakenly held in higher regard than their limited sniper competencies and experience merited. This resulted in lower levels of supervision during the Sniper Operators’ Course and contributed to subsequent weapon handling errors.’
The report concluded: ‘A series of errors, shortfalls and poor judgment conspired and ended in the death of a capable and highly regarded junior noncommissioned officer.’
It said poor supervision and a failure to follow mandated procedures were themes of the Service Inquiry report, carried out by the Defence Safety Authority, and added the ‘post-accident response fell short in a number of areas’.
A statement issued jointly by L/Cpl Spencer’s father Graham, 62, mother Dee, 56, and his brothers David, 32, and Andrew, 30, said they had been left with ‘numerous unanswered questions’.
The family said they were ‘extremely upset’ the report had been made public without their concerns being answered.
They added: ‘It is clear to us the individuals responsible for delivering the Sniper Training Course did not do so in accordance with the mandated course syllabus. We strongly believe Joe would be with us today if they had complied.’
An Army spokesman said: ‘The safety and welfare of our personnel is of the utmost importance and we will now carefully consider the recommendations which have been made by the inquiry.’
‘Joe should have come home’