Special forces soldier shot seven times by comrade during hostage drill; fellow serviceman given suspended sentence

A special forces soldier was left with life-changing injuries after being accidentally shot seven times at point-blank range during a hostage-extraction drill, a court-martial has heard. The incident reportedly occurred in January 2019, with the location and the soldiers’ identities withheld for national-security reasons, The Sun reported.

During proceedings at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire, the shooter—identified in court records as Soldier B—was an experienced serviceman who was training with the elite unit for the first time. He received a six-month suspended jail sentence after a judge determined the incident resulted from negligent conduct and an eagerness to impress in a high-stakes training environment.

The injured soldier, Soldier A, sustained life-altering damage to the chest, abdomen and arms, and later developed post-traumatic stress disorder. He was medically discharged from the Armed Forces, with the court hearing that he might not have survived without the body armour he chose to wear that day. In a victim statement read aloud by Lieutenant Colonel Emma Whiting, Soldier A said, “There is no doubt, if I hadn’t been wearing my body armour, I would have been shot dead.”

Prosecutors described a string of safety failures on the day of the drill. A safety briefing had been cancelled, and there was little visual distinction between magazines holding blanks and those containing live rounds. The exercise involved two teams; Soldier A roleplayed an enemy, while Soldier B was part of the team attempting to extract a hostage. Soldier B later said he unexpectedly took up a shooting role as the scenario progressed, and he loaded live ammunition into magazines intended for use in the drill. The court heard that he failed to properly check the magazine before inserting it, a factor described by the prosecutor as a critical lapse.

During the hostage-taking drill, Soldier B fired 23 live rounds overall, with the last seven rounds causing Soldier A’s injuries to the chest, abdomen, right arm and left forearm. Soldier A has undergone multiple reconstructive surgeries and carries lifelong scarring, while his life and career were irrevocably altered by the incident.

Soldier B later offered an apology to his victim while visiting him in hospital. He admitted to negligently performing a duty and, in addition to the suspended sentence, was ordered to pay £5,000 in compensation to Soldier A. Judge England noted the need to balance accountability with the realities of high-risk training environments but emphasized that safety failures could have had catastrophic consequences.

The case, heard at the Bulford Military Court, underscores ongoing concerns about safety protocols in high-stakes military training. As with many details of the incident, the location and identities involved remain confidential for national-security reasons, in line with the defense’s handling of operationally sensitive material. Soldier A’s injuries have had lasting physical and psychological effects, while Soldier B faces penalties designed to reinforce rigorous checks and safe practices in future exercises.