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British soldier Michael Maguire was unlawfully killed, inquest rules British soldier Michael Maguire was unlawfully killed, inquest rules
(about 20 hours later)
A British soldier who died when he was hit by a machine-gun bullet at a live-firing range in west Wales was unlawfully killed, an inquest jury has ruled.
Ranger Michael Maguire, 20, was shot in the head as he relaxed after removing his armour and helmet at the range in Pembrokeshire. A soldier was unlawfully killed when he was hit in the head by a machine-gun bullet as he rested in a supposedly safe area next to a firing range, an inquest jury has ruled.
Maguire, a member of the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, was standing in an area that had been deemed secure, the inquest in Cardiff was told. Ranger Michael Maguire, 21, was shot dead after removing his armour and helmet at the range in Pembrokeshire, west Wales, during a live-firing exercise in May last year.
The training at the Castlemartin Ranges was part of the troops' build-up to a second tour of duty in Afghanistan, due to take place this year. The jury heard that more bullets may have whistled over the heads of Maguire's friends as they tried to save his life and was told the lives of civilians may have been put at danger when a beach was sprayed with fire.
Jurors were told that the fatal bullet could have been fired by a fellow soldier attacking a static target 1km away. The inquest heard that a popular tourist beach close to the range could have been sprayed with machine-gun fire. It is believed the incident may have been caused by a badly aligned target, meaning the machine gunner was shooting inland rather than out to sea.
As well as the coroner's inquiry into Maguire's death, investigations by the Crown Prosecution Service and its military equivalent, the Service Prosecuting Authority, and the Health and Safety Executive remain active. After the inquest in Cardiff, Maguire's family said it was ironic he had survived a tour of Afghanistan only to be killed while training in the UK. They strongly criticised some of those involved in the incident who had stayed silent. Maguire's brother, Jimmy, said: "We are disappointed that key personnel involved decided to rely on their right not to answer questions which were potentially self-incriminating rather than give the inquest a full and true account of what happened.
The inquest heard about the aftermath of the tragedy, which happened in May last year, from fellow soldiers. "That has left us with unanswered questions, in particular about the actions of the people responsible for the planning of and safety on the exercise. Soldiers should not be killed in training and we hope that lessons are learned army-wide to ensure that another incident like this does not occur."
Corporal Angus Neill, who was also relaxing in the same "safe" area with his helmet off, said: "I recall it being a crack and a whizz and I knew from experience in Afghanistan that these were rounds. He said he heard a comrade shout "man down" and went to help Maguire. He added that the family hoped that other ongoing investigations would fill in gaps in the evidence. A Health and Safety Executive inquiry and a military special investigation branch probe are both still looking into Maguire's death.
He described holding a dressing to what appeared to be a bleeding exit wound on the back of Maguire's head. He tried to clear the injured soldier's air way when he appeared to be struggling to breathe. The family's lawyer, Alison Millar, said: "We feel this inquest has raised issues about the chain of command and the systems in place on army firing ranges. We are now considering further legal options with the family."
Neill said that his focus was on helping his friend at the time but it was possible bullets continued to pass overhead. Maguire, who was 6ft 7in tall and nicknamed High Tower, was standing in a supposedly safe area at the Castlemartin ranges in May last year as he and fellow members of the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment prepared for their second deployment to Afghanistan.
Another soldier, Corporal Peter Devlin, told the inquest: "I was standing about three metres from Ranger Maguire. I was having a cigarette and it all happened so quickly. I saw Ranger Maguire fall on the ground. I immediately saw that he was hit because I saw a wound to the top of his head." Corporal Angus Neill said he heard a "crack and a whizz" that he knew from experience were live rounds. He said he heard a comrade shout "man down" and went to help Maguire. Neill said his focus was on helping his friend but that it was possible bullets continued to pass overhead.
Captain Gary Palmer, an army weapons expert, investigated the tragedy in parallel with the police. He said soldiers had been shooting outside the areas specified. The inquest was told that an officer involved in the running of the exercise, Lieutenant Jonathan Price, had been recommended for "supervision" after struggling to pass the live-fire tactical training course.
It also emerged that an officer involved in the running of the exercise was recommended for "supervision" after struggling to pass the live-fire tactical training course. Since then he has not run a shooting range and his range qualification has been suspended. A safety supervisor on the range, Corporal Mark McMahon, refused to answer questions about what had happened because of possible further legal proceedings.
A safety supervisor on the range refused to tell an inquest about events on the fateful day because of possible further legal proceedings. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We will ensure that we make all the necessary changes to prevent an accident of this nature happening again. There are still ongoing investigations so it is not appropriate for us to comment further."
Corporal Mark McMahon gave details about his background and previous training but when faced with questions about the day of the shooting, he replied: "I regret I cannot answer that due to the ongoing investigations."
Witnesses at an inquest can refuse to answer questions if they believed it could implicate them in other proceedings.