A woman has accused military authorities of an attempted cover- up after her son was accidentally shot dead at an army base in Northern Ireland two years ago.
Ms Liz Green from Carlisle said she would never stop her campaign to find out what happened at the time her son died. "With every breath in my body I will continue until everyone responsible accepts responsibility."
Her pledge followed the jailing at Belfast Crown Court yesterday of a soldier for the manslaughter of her son, Cpl Tony Green (25), an army chef who died when he was hit at Shackleton army barracks, Co Derry in January 2001.
Pte William Graham (24), from Whitburn, Lothian, who accidentally discharged his rifle, was jailed for two years. Both belonged to the Royal Scots Regiment and were preparing to go out on an operation at the time of the tragedy.
Ms Green said she believed the army would have attempted to cover the incident up if an off-duty police detective had not been at the scene. "There was an RUC officer in the camp that day and saw Tony on the road. If he hadn't been on that site, we would have been told Tony committed suicide or it was a ricochet."
She questioned why Graham who, after being sentenced was automatically discharged from the army, was allowed to continue working as a gym instructor at the camp and was even promoted to lance corporal after the shooting.
"On what grounds could the British army still employ this man and give him promotion? He was still receiving full army benefits."
Evidence given during the trial last year revealed that Cpl Green was shot in the head after Graham's rifle was discharged from the back of a Land-Rover 130 yards away. Graham, a member of a special surveillance unit, was preparing to go on an operation to Co Fermanagh and had placed his gun in the back of the vehicle.
The operation had been delayed and Cpl Green, who was to accompany the unit as chef, was returning to the cookhouse when the gun went off. He died in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry a day later.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Higgins said that Graham, who was found guilty last October, was an experienced soldier and while he did not set out to kill Cpl Green, had been grossly negligent.
Mr Justice Higgins accepted that senior officers regarded Graham as an exemplary soldier, who was genuinely remorseful, but he had acted contrary to what every soldier was taught in training.
"When a soldier draws a weapon from his armoury he owes a duty of care to everyone to handle the weapon with extreme care."