WARRIOR ARMOURED VEHICLE KILLS ARMY OFFICER DURING EXERCISE

An inquest heard that a Warrior armoured vehicle reversed over Second Lieutenant Max George during a training exercise on Salisbury Plain in June 2022. George, from County Durham, died at the scene. He served with 5 Rifles, whose members were taking part in Exercise Combat Spirit. Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner’s Court heard that the Warrior’s commander ordered it to reverse at speed without realising George was behind it.

George had been ordered to take command on the ground as two groups of soldiers converged on a target, the inquest heard. The Warrior stopped, its gunner threw a smoke grenade, and George received an order to leave the vehicle. The inquest heard that an alarm intended to alert the driver when the rear doors were open had been broken since 2018. The Warrior had nine faults, including problems with the rear doors, the court heard.

Lieutenant Colonel Graham Watson, who led a service inquiry into George’s death, said the Army had installed such alarms after two fatal incidents in the 1990s. Watson said personnel knew about several faults with the Warrior, but none required them to take it out of service. He said a stuck locking plunger prevented the rear doors from being secured in position, while a later fault entry again recorded that the alarm cable needed repair or replacement. Watson described the defects as “‘fully fit’ faults”, a classification he said was not incorrect at the time of the accident.