A young mother is calling for the Prime Minister to intervene after the soldiers held responsible for her husband’s death were allowed to keep their jobs.
Sarah Wilkinson, 24, has been left “shattered and heartbroken” by the death of Royal Fusilier James Wilkinson on a training exercise in November 2011.
The 21-year-old father died instantly after being shot in the neck as a colleague was examining a jammed machine gun at a training camp in Kenya.
He had only been in 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, for five months after training in Catterick, North Yorkshire.
Fusilier Colin Bell, who had been inspecting Fusilier Wilkinson’s gun, and safety supervisor Private Patrick Price were convicted of negligence.
Both were given military jail sentences which were cut after an Appeal Court ruling. They were allowed to stay in the army on demoted ranks.
Now Sarah, of Bury, Greater Manchester, has started an online petition signed by thousands of supporters.
It includes a letter addressed to David Cameron putting pressure on military chiefs to reverse the decision.
In the letter, the mother-of-two writes: “These men failed James Wilkinson and it is because of their carelessness that he lost his life.”
Sarah told The Sunday Post: “We had justice and it was snatched away from us. They were found guilty. They were discharged from the army but they simply appealed and it all got wiped away. I want the Prime Minister to put pressure on the military to have them discharged from the army.”
Newly-wed Sarah had only moved to Fusilier Wilkinson’s German army base with young son Connor three days before her husband left for Kenya. She was pregnant with their daughter Annabelle, now two.
But three weeks after the move, army officials delivered the tragic news her husband had died in an accident.
The machine gun, which was being used by Fusilier Aaron Davenport, jammed while firing live ammunition. It was taken behind the front line to Fusilier Bell, against safety regulations.
The gun fired accidentally as he removed the barrel to clear the blockage, an inquest jury heard last month. Fusilier Wilkinson was lying on the ground and the bullet pierced his neck killing him instantly.
Private Price was in a role overseeing safety.
Solicitors acting for Fusilier Wikinson’s family are pursuing a civil action against the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which has admitted liability.
Sarah said her family had been through hell since her husband’s death.
She said: “It is just horrific. It is nearly two and a half years on and the pain is exactly the same.
“It is hard for the children, particularly Connor because he remembers James. Annabelle has never even met her dad.”
Downing Street referred The Sunday Post to the MOD when we contacted them.
In a statement, an MOD spokesman said: “Our thoughts remain with Fusilier Wilkinson’s friends and family following this tragic accident. Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, those involved were dealt with appropriately.
“We have accepted and implemented all the necessary recommendations that came out of the investigation into the accident, so that we can try to prevent something like this from ever happening again.”
View the petition here
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