Soldier award official rethink

The Star reported on August 9 how Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, aged 23, lost both his legs and suffered 37 injuries when a landmine exploded in Helmand Province last September.

Now his mother is leading a campaign to change the system by going to the High Court to raise the amount he was awarded.

The paratrooper with the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, who will need specialised medical care for the rest of his life, has been awarded 152,150 in compensation, a sum which his mum Diane Dernie has branded an “insult“.

The award is slightly more than half the maximum 285,000 which can be given to injured military personnel. Armed Forces minister Bob Ainsworth now says said a review is needed because troops were able to survive “horrendous injuries“ because of medical advances.

Mr Ainsworth said: “What we are doing – because we recognise that we have now got people with horrendous injuries who are surviving, who would never have survived a few years ago – is looking at that scheme to see whether or not it is adequate and if it is not deemed to be adequate we will make changes.“

He added: “I couldn’t say that his award seems fair. His injuries appear horrendous to me, as they would to any individual.

“But we have got a scheme in place which is much improved from that which was there before. But it needs to be reviewed and a review is currently under way.“

Mrs Dernie, aged 49, of Wheatley Hills, who is setting up a fighting fund to pay for her High Court bid, said: “We just can’t believe that a scheme intended to care for soldiers who put themselves in such dangerous situations could be so flawed.

“Any assessment of injury must look at the totality of those injuries to make a true award based on the long-term needs of the victim.

“The severity of Ben’s injuries mean that we need to be able to move to an adapted house to help him live as normal a life as possible. I really don't feel this will be possible with an award of this size.“

L Bdr Parkinson lost both his legs as well as suffering a brain injury, fractures to his skull, cheekbone, nose, jaw and pelvis, fractured vertebrae, as well as serious damage to his spleen and chest.

He is reportedly one of the most seriously injured soldiers ever to survive.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence stressed that L/Bdr Parkinson could receive up to 1 million over his lifetime once his monthly compensation payment was taken into account.