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Proceeding contribution from Earl Attlee (Conservative) in the House of Lords on Thursday, 27 April 2006. It occurred during Ministerial statement on Iraq: Fatal Shootings of Sergeant Steven Roberts and Zaher Zaher.


Iraq: Fatal Shootings of Sergeant Steven Roberts and Zaher Zaher

My Lords, I remind the House that I have an interest as a serving TA officer. Is the noble and learned Lord aware that I still have absolutely no confidence whatever that I would be promptly or fairly dealt with if I were on an operation and I had to engage the enemy? How many servicemen were being considered for prosecution? What numbers were involved? Op TELIC was of questionable legality and necessity; I do not expect the noble and learned Lord to respond on that point. I do not believe that the Secretary of State has any direct responsibly for the lack of body armour. If Sergeant Roberts’s pistol had not failed, we would not be here this afternoon. When did the autopsy on Mr Zaher take place? Most importantly, does the noble and learned Lord believe that Mr Zaher was of sound mind? It does not sound as though he was. If it took nearly 12 months for the chain of command and Army Legal Services to determine whether Mr Zaher was a combatant or a civilian, why do the members of the Armed Forces get only as many seconds to make that determination? Is it correct that the Strategic Defence Review cut a Royal Military Police TA unit that was full of experienced Metropolitan Police officers who were well used to investigating very serious criminal offences?


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
681 c272 
Session
2005-06
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Criminal investigation Armed forces Death Armed conflict Casualties Crown Prosecution Service Civilians Iraq Prosecutions Military police Iraq conflict Army Prosecuting Authority Roberts, Steven Zaher, Zaher
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk