Army
Soldier Sues MoD After Initiation Ceremony Ends Army Career
A young soldier is suing the Ministry of Defence after being forced to quit the Army because of injuries sustained in a violent initiation ceremony.
Oliver Scudder, 20, told the Sun newspaper he was pressured to run down a corridor lined by fellow soldiers, who struck him with punches and kicks.
He was left with 90% vision loss in his right eye and a medical discharge from the Royal Anglian Regiment, which he had only joined nine days before, after tripping and taking a boot to the face. He said:
"I felt really pressured into doing it. There were corporals and lance corporals there, they were egging this on. I was getting hit and punched and kicked from both sides, then while on the floor I looked up and saw who it was, and they kicked me in the face."
Tests had revealed a hole in the back of his eyeball that could not be operated on, as it had already scarred by the time he visited his doctor.
Oliver says he waited before receiving treatment out of a misguided sense of loyalty.
The incident took place at Kendrew Barracks in Rutland
The MoD, meanwhile, admitted liability but he was told no soldiers would face criminal prosecution due to a lack of evidence. He added:
"It’s a whitewash. I'm livid. I didn’t think the whole bullying thing was still about. I thought the military had changed when I got there – I thought we were all on the same side.
"The Army is all I ever wanted. I joined as soon as I could [at the age of 18] and wanted to fulfil my 22 years' service. Instead I've been left with a sliver of peripheral vision in my right eye and no career in front of me."
"I’m angry that the military can let these guys get away with it when I have lost everything.
"There must be others like me, for whom the military was their life, who have been injured in similar circumstances. It must end."
His lawyers Irwin Mitchell want financial support as Oliver faces life with sight loss, and say the MoD failed in its duty of care towards him. An Army spokesperson said:
"Initiation ceremonies are a form of bullying and are a breach of the Army’s Values and Standards. Anyone found to have fallen short of these standards will be dealt with appropriately up to and including dismissal from the Army."
Cover image courtesy of Facebook.
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