Officer is jailed over Army training tragedy

AN ARMY officer has been jailed for 18 months after being convicted over the killing of a 21-yearold soldier who was shot during a training exercise.

Captain Jonathan Price, 32, was also dismissed from the Army after being found guilty last month of the manslaughter of Ranger Michael Maguire by gross negligence following a seven-week court martial at Bulford, Wiltshire.

Two other officers, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bell, 46, and Warrant Officer Stuart Pankhurst, 40, were convicted of negligently performing a duty.

Col Bell lost one year’s seniority as a lieutenant colonel, which could affect his promotion prospects, while WO2 Pankhurst was fined £3,000.

Rgr Maguire was one of several soldiers who came under machine gun fire during an exercise at the Castlemartin Training Area in Pembrokeshire in May 2012 for members of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment.

Rgr Maguire, from Co Cork, Ireland, died after being hit in the forehead by a stray bullet from a machine gun.

The three defendants were accused of having “a total disregard for the safety” of their men when they organised a live ammunition exercise ahead of deployment to Kenya.

It emerged after the convictions that the Ministry of Defence has received a Crown Censure for breaches of health and safety regulations.

Passing sentence on behalf of the court martial board, Assistant Judge Advocate General Alan Large said Capt Price’s negligence was so great that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.

The judge said the board had reduced the sentence from a starting point of four years after taking into account Capt Price’s exemplary service to the country.