Regina v Ministry of Defence, Ex Parte Walker: CA 5 Feb 1999

The scheme provided by the Ministry of Defence to compensate soldiers for being injured by criminal acts did not cover a wound inflicted by a shell fired from a tank whilst on peacekeeping duties. This was akin to a war injury.
Auld LJ said: ‘there is no irrationality in the Ministry’s adoption of the Scheme in its original or amended form. The purpose of the exclusion is to produce as nearly as possible some parity in the recovery of compensation for crime by military personnel abroad with that available to those injured by crime at home. To achieve that, it seeks to remove from the Scheme a feature peculiar to the life of a member of the armed services abroad in a theatre of war or where there is military activity between warring factions, but not present at home, the risk of injury from warlike behaviour. In my view also, the Ministry was entitled to develop the Scheme with the problems of the type posed by Bosnia particularly in mind, just as it was entitled to take the view that the circumstances in Northern Ireland were materially different from those in Bosnia so as to warrant different policies for the two territories.’

Judges:

Auld, Chadwick LJJ, Sir Christoper Staunton

Citations:

Times 11-Feb-1999, [1999] EWCA Civ 726, [1999] PIQR Q168, [1999] 1 WLR 1209

Links:

Bailii

Jurisdiction:

England and Wales

Citing:

Appeal fromRegina v Ministry of Defence ex parte Walker Admn 9-Feb-1998
The court dismissed the plaintiff’s request for judicial review of the refusal of the Criminal Injuries Compensation (Overseas) Scheme. He was injured serving as a United Nations Peacekeeper in Bosnia, from a single round fired into the block by a . .

Cited by:

Appeal fromRegina v Ministry of Defence, ex parte Walker HL 6-Apr-2000
The Ministry of Defence operated a scheme for compensating soldiers serving abroad who were injured as a result of criminal activity. The claimant, whilst serving on a peace-keeping mission in Bosnia, was injured when a hut was hit by a shell fired . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

Personal Injury, Armed Forces

Updated: 19 May 2022; Ref: scu.85413