Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Families of dead soldiers go to court

Richard Osley
Sunday 17 February 2013 01:00 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Families of soldiers who died in attacks on the British army's lightly armoured Snatch Land Rovers in Iraq will fight for compensation in the Supreme Court tomorrow.

Judges will hear claims that three soldiers died because their military vehicles were not suitable for their mission. Lawyers for the relatives of Private Phillip Hewett, 21, from Staffordshire, who died in July 2005, Private Lee Ellis, 23, from Manchester, in 2006 and Lance Corporal Kirk Redpath, 22, from east London, in 2007, will argue the failure of the Ministry of Defence to provide adequate armour and equipment was a breach of the victims' human rights. The MoD has argued that decisions over equipment are a matter for military commanders and not the courts.

Supreme Court judges will be asked to overturn an Appeal Court decision last October to reject the compensation claims. Lawyers say the case could clarify questions about the extent of the military's combat legal immunity.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in