Widow of Nimrod victim may back claim

Families of the 14 men killed in the Nimrod plane crash, including that of a former Shropshire soldier, are considering corporate manslaughter charges against defence firms criticised for their role in the tragedy.

John Cooper, lawyer acting for all the families, including that of Sergeant Gerard Bell, formerly of Brookside, Telford, made the claim after a review made public yesterday found the tragedy had been preventable.

He said: "This is probably the most damning and stark indictment of negligence, at the very least, that we've seen."

A safety review of the ageing Nimrod MR2 fleet, completed the year before, had been a "lamentable job" that was "riddled with errors" and failed to identify serious design flaws which led to the crash.

The plane exploded in mid-air while flying over Afghanistan in September 2006, killing all the occupants.

Mr Cooper said Charles Haddon-Cave's review cast new light on the role played by the Ministry of Defence's private partners.

The report would also assist the families' continuing civil negligence claim against the MoD, which is to be heard in court on December 17, he said.

Speaking to the Shropshire Star today, Mr Bell's father-in-law Bill Kane, who still lives in Newport, said: "The report speaks for itself really. I have to say though it was much worse that I thought it would be.

"My daughter Fiona is in London at the moment and I haven't spoken to her since the review was made public, so I wouldn't be able to comment on what she is feeling."

Mr Cooper said the main thing the families were seeking was "accountability and responsibility".

"And what we see emerging in this report is not only information which will be of great assistance to them in their civil claim, but we will be considering corporate manslaughter issues as far as the private companies are concerned," he added.

Sergeant Bell and his widow Fiona were pupils at the Blessed Robert Johnson School in Wellington.

By Wayne Beese