Inquest rules death of soldier killed on Northumberland training exercise was accidental

A jury has ruled the death of a soldier shot during a night-time training exercise as accidental.

Senior Coroner Andrew Hetherington asked jurors to retire and consider a verdict after five days of evidence into Private's death at Otterburn Training Area in August 2016.

An inquest at Northumberland Coroner's Court heard the 24-year-old, who was serving with A Company, 3 Scots - The Black Watch - was shot through his helmet by another soldier and suffered a fatal head injury.

Jurors returned just before lunchtime on Monday and concluded the death of Pvt McPherson was accidental.

Pvt McPherson's parents, Neil and Betty McPherson, had been in attendance throughout the hearing - but chose not to attend on the final day.

As he thanked the jury for their service, Mr Hetherington added: "You have undertaken a very serious duty which Conor's family are grateful.

"Neil and Betty, as you'd appreciate, found the evidence very difficult to hear.

"They did tell staff in the court they felt they have some closure and are able to move on."

During evidence at Morpeth County Hall, jurors heard that despite resuscitation attempts Pvt McPherson was pronounced dead at the scene.

Evidence was heard from Dr Jennifer Bolton, who carried out a post-mortem examination and concluded the cause of death as a head injury.

She told the court Pvt McPherson, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, had one significant injury which was a gunshot wound to the right side of the head, which had come through his helmet.

The court was told the injury would have caused him to become instantly unconscious and Pvt McPherson "would not have been aware of it".

Pvt McPherson was one of five soldiers taking part in the exercise at the training ground when a weapon was discharged and he fell to the ground.

The court heard it was the first time firer two, who was believed to have fired the fatal shot, had taken part in a night-time exercise without illumination.

During evidence given by firer two, he told the court he could not see Pvt McPherson or the target because it was "pitch black".

One of the five soldiers told the court he did not fire any shots from his rifle all evening as he could not see anything.

The court heard the targets did not have any thermal tape added to them ahead of the exercise, and Pvt McPherson was wearing different night vision goggles to the rest of the team.

Jurors were also told a Range Action Safety Plan had been carried out ahead of the training exercise but was sent back because it was not sufficient.

A service inquiry report found a number of failings in the lead up to the training exercise, the court was told.

The findings of the Defence Authority's Service Inquiry were read out in court, with jurors told Pvt McPherson was killed in what "should have been a fairly routine live-firing night exercise".

It was the first night-time Fire Team Attack (FTA) the team had carried out without illumination, but the inquiry said it was "probably too rapid" and unsettled some of the platoon.

The report said a walk-through of the range was not conducted and soldiers who had already completed the range had struggled due to their lack of experience of firing at night - though concerns were not raised at the time.

The court heard the targets did not have thermal tape added to them, and the inquiry said it was "highly likely" Pvt McPherson was killed by firer two who "mistook him for a target".

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