Soldier died from body armour shortage

A British soldier ordered to give up his body armour two days before the invasion of Iraq died because he was not wearing it, an official military board of inquiry found on Monday.

The death of Sergeant Stephen Roberts, accidentally shot by his own troops while manning a checkpoint during the 2003 invasion, caused media outrage back home after it emerged he had been ordered to give up his body armour because of shortages.


The board of inquiry which presented its findings on Monday confirmed that the bullet-proof plates of his Enhanced Combat Body Armour would have saved him if he had not given them up.

"Had Sergeant Roberts been wearing correctly fitting and fitted ECBA (as originally issued to him and then withdrawn on 20 March 2003) when this incident unfolded, he would not have been fatally injured by the rounds that struck him," it said.

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