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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Porton Down victims awarded £3m | Porton Down victims awarded £3m |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to award £3m in compensation to 360 veterans of Cold War experiments at the Porton Down research centre. | The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to award £3m in compensation to 360 veterans of Cold War experiments at the Porton Down research centre. |
| Defence minister Derek Twigg said: "The government sincerely apologises to those who may have been affected." | Defence minister Derek Twigg said: "The government sincerely apologises to those who may have been affected." |
| The money is "in full and final settlement" of claims and without admission of liability, Mr Twigg added. | The money is "in full and final settlement" of claims and without admission of liability, Mr Twigg added. |
| Many of those in the trials at the complex in Wiltshire thought they were finding a cure for the common cold. | Many of those in the trials at the complex in Wiltshire thought they were finding a cure for the common cold. |
| The settlement in the long-running dispute between the government and victims of the trial was "amicable", Mr Twigg added. | The settlement in the long-running dispute between the government and victims of the trial was "amicable", Mr Twigg added. |
| Alan Care, the lawyer who has acted for many veterans over the past decade, said: "I think this is a good deal for them. I'm very pleased for them." | Alan Care, the lawyer who has acted for many veterans over the past decade, said: "I think this is a good deal for them. I'm very pleased for them." |
| Nerve agent | Nerve agent |
| Mr Twigg added: "The government accepts that there were aspects of the trials where there may have been shortcomings and, where, in particular, the life or health of participants may have been put at risk. | Mr Twigg added: "The government accepts that there were aspects of the trials where there may have been shortcomings and, where, in particular, the life or health of participants may have been put at risk. |
| "The Ministry of Defence is grateful to all those whose participation in studies at Porton Down made possible the research to provide safe and effective protection for UK Armed Forces." | "The Ministry of Defence is grateful to all those whose participation in studies at Porton Down made possible the research to provide safe and effective protection for UK Armed Forces." |
| Between 1939 and 1989, hundreds of servicemen took part in experiments at Porton Down. | Between 1939 and 1989, hundreds of servicemen took part in experiments at Porton Down. |
| Many were given forms of the sarin nerve agent developed by the Nazis in World War II and say they have suffered a lifetime of ill-health as a result. | Many were given forms of the sarin nerve agent developed by the Nazis in World War II and say they have suffered a lifetime of ill-health as a result. |
| Ronald Maddison died in 1953 | |
| Only one other Porton Down case has resulted in compensation. | Only one other Porton Down case has resulted in compensation. |
| That was for 20-year-old aircraftsman Ronald Maddison, of Consett, County Durham. | That was for 20-year-old aircraftsman Ronald Maddison, of Consett, County Durham. |
| In 1953, he volunteered to take part in what he believed to be a test for a cold cure. Within an hour of having sarin dabbed on his arm at the Salisbury Plain laboratory, he was dead. | In 1953, he volunteered to take part in what he believed to be a test for a cold cure. Within an hour of having sarin dabbed on his arm at the Salisbury Plain laboratory, he was dead. |
| The MoD eventually paid £100,000 in compensation to Mr Maddison's family but only after mounting an unsuccessful legal challenge against a 2004 inquest verdict which ruled he had been unlawfully killed. | The MoD eventually paid £100,000 in compensation to Mr Maddison's family but only after mounting an unsuccessful legal challenge against a 2004 inquest verdict which ruled he had been unlawfully killed. |