This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-28210084
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Polar bear schoolboy death: Leader tried to 'take out' animal's eyes | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The leader of an Arctic expedition, in which a polar bear mauled an Eton schoolboy to death, has said he tried to gouge out the animal's eyes. | |
| Michael Reid told an inquest into the death of Horatio Chapple, 17, from Salisbury, he had tried to shoot the bear but his rifle did not fire. | Michael Reid told an inquest into the death of Horatio Chapple, 17, from Salisbury, he had tried to shoot the bear but his rifle did not fire. |
| The boy died in 2011 on an expedition to Svalbard, Norway, organised by the British Schools Exploring Society. | The boy died in 2011 on an expedition to Svalbard, Norway, organised by the British Schools Exploring Society. |
| Mr Reid said the bear turned on him and bit his head as he tried to scare it. | Mr Reid said the bear turned on him and bit his head as he tried to scare it. |
| He told the inquest he went for the bear's eyes because he thought that was an area of weakness. | He told the inquest he went for the bear's eyes because he thought that was an area of weakness. |
| Mr Reid, from Plymouth, said he heard voices shouting "bear attack" on the morning of 5 August and he rushed out of his tent with a rifle. | |
| He said he tried to shoot the bear which was on top of one of the teenagers in the group, but the rifle failed to fire. | |
| "I cocked the rifle, took aim, aimed it carefully as I didn't want to shoot the YE (young explorer). | |
| "Although it was close I didn't want to injure the YE or worse," he said. | |
| "So I took a carefully aimed shot at the bear in the chest area of the bear but the rifle didn't fire. | |
| "I cocked the rifle again and took another attempt at an aimed shot at the bear." | |
| The rifle failed to fire despite repeated attempts. | |
| Mr Reid said the bear then turned on him. | |
| He described how he shouted out for others to use pen flares to help scare the animal off. | |
| "I remember the bear biting my head and I thought the weakest part is the eyes so I tried to take out the eyes with my fingers, but was unsuccessful," he added. | |
| Mr Reid said the bear moved off and he grabbed his rifle again and eventually managed to shoot the animal dead. | |
| The inquest heard that the Mauser 98K rifle had a three-position safety catch mechanism, which meant rounds could be ejected if fired with the catch in the highest position. | |
| Mr Reid said he was unaware of this at the time and does not know which position the catch was in at the time. | |
| "From the reports I have read, there's a chance that the safety catch had got up in that position," he said. | |
| Mr Reid described Horatio as a fantastic member of the team. | |
| "One of the best, if not the best on the expedition. A fine young gentleman with amazing potential," he said. | |
| The inquest continues. |