War veterans sue MoD over trauma damage

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For soldiers, illness has often followed combat

The biggest legal action brought against the Ministry of Defence begins in the High Court today when 254 veterans of the conflicts in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, the Gulf and the Falklands seek compensation for psychological damage inflicted by war.

The case, which is expected to last for five months, will centre on the duties of governments to their armed forces and the right of soldiers to obtain compensation for injuries in the same way as civilians.

The 254 veterans are all victims of post-traumatic stress disorder, which has left them anxious and depressed and has disrupted their lives. A further 1,600 have registered claims and are waiting to see whether the first group succeeds.

Estimates of the cost of the case have ranged as high as £500m if the MoD were to lose. People who have been unable to work because of psychological damage could receive compensation of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The potentially catastrophic effects of post-traumatic stress disorder were highlighted in January when Charles Bruce, a Falklands veteran, leapt to his death from a light aircraft flying at 5,000ft (1,500 metres) over Oxfordshire. His remains were found in a field. Mr Bruce, 46, had served with the SAS and was an expert in freefall parachuting. Although his death has not been ruled a suicide, he had attempted suicide twice, and, two days before his fatal jump, he had telephoned a friend to say farewell.

The South Atlantic Medal Fund claims that more than 200 veterans of the Falklands conflict are known to have committed suicide and says the true total could exceed the 255 killed on the islands. Denzil Connick, the secretary of the fund, said the after-effects of war drove some men to violence and extreme mood swings. "They are so short-fused they get into trouble with the law. They have problems staying in relationships, they become homeless, dependent on alcohol and drugs and some end up in the prison system unnecessarily."

Stephen Bitcom, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after a two-year tour of duty in Northern Ireland, is among those involved in the case. He saw his best friend killed and had a narrow escape when a "jam-jar" bomb exploded in his face.

After being discharged from the Army in 1994, he started drinking heavily, got into trouble and has spent several spells in prison. His mother, Evelyn, said she had approached the Army for help but without success. Today, she is launching a project to help ex-servicemen called PTSD-Link, and is supported by the Mind mental health charity and the Millennium Commission.

Mr Bitcom said: "I was sent out to Northern Ireland where I had some awful experiences which affected me very badly. But although I had developed a serious mental health problem whilst serving in the Army I never received any support help or treatment. It was all just brushed under the carpet."

Mrs Bitcom said: "The day after the jam-jar bomb exploded in his face he was sent back on duty. It was thrown at the side of the vehicle that he was riding on top of and he was taken to hospital and had his eyes cleaned out. He was told it was bad Semtex. If it had been good Semtex it would have blown his head off.

"He had earlier had a milk bottle in his arm and a paving slab thrown at his leg. When he came home he was not my son any more. He was extremely withdrawn, had a very short fuse and was drinking extremely heavily. They were the classic symptoms of [stress disorder] but we didn't know it."

The crux of the veterans' argument is that their psychological wounds should have been treated with the same care and urgency as physical wounds sustained in battle.

Veterans in Prison, a lobbying group for former soldiers, describes post-traumatic stress disorder as the "hidden wound". A spokesman said: "The veterans are not suing because they were sent into conflict situations, as that is part of any soldier's duties. They are claiming because they suffered psychological injuries from their frontline experience for which they received little or no help. Nearly all the veterans would prefer not to have to sue but they have done so as a last resort ... In some cases, veterans who were clearly suffering from [stress disorder] were sent back into conflict."

An MoD spokesman said it could not comment until the case was over.