MoD spies on heroes wounded in battle: Hundreds seeking compensation are filmed covertly to see if t

[Christa]

MoD spies on heroes wounded in battle: Hundreds seeking compensation are filmed covertly to see if they're lying

Wounded soldiers seeking compensation for their injuries are being secretly filmed to check whether they are lying about their condition.

The Ministry of Defence has ordered its legal teams to make use of ‘Big Brother’ undercover spying powers originally drawn up to deal with counter-terrorism.

All injured servicemen and women claiming compensation from the MoD have been sent letters via their solicitors threatening them with ‘covert surveillance’.

They are warned that their case will be ‘passed to the MoD police’ to consider prosecution if there is suspicion of fraud.

Yesterday the ministry confirmed that since 2000 it had carried out such surveillance on almost 300 injured personnel who sought damages through the civil courts.

The disclosure sparked astonishment and outrage.

Senior military commanders, MPs and campaigners said it was a ‘national disgrace’ and demanded to know why ministers had sanctioned such treatment of soldiers who risked their lives in wars, and paid a terrible price in physical and mental trauma.

Wounded soldiers voiced disgust at what they saw as intimidatory tactics designed to frighten mentally traumatised claimants into dropping their cases.

One former soldier who was left physically and mentally shattered by a mortar bomb in Basra said his warning letter had left him feeling ‘like a benefits cheat’ instead of a once-proud soldier, and that he now struggled to gather the confidence to leave his home.

Warren Ward insisted: ‘I’m not a scrounger. I did my duty as a soldier for my country.’

News that the Government is spying on war heroes to try to cut its compensation bill emerged as the MoD confirmed that another British soldier had been killed by an explosion while on foot patrol in Afghanistan - taking the UK death toll to 185.

He was named as Fiji-born Rifleman Aminiasi Toge from 2nd Battalion The Rifles.


Full article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1200478/MoD-covertly-films-hundreds-wounded-soldiers-seeking-compensation-theyre-lying.html