York man who had to comfort families of troops killed in roadside bombings sues his MoD bosses (From York Press)

John Salisbury-Baker, who had to comfort families of troops killed in roadside bombings, sues his MoD bosses

9:35am Tuesday 4th August 2009 in News Exclusive By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

A MINISTRY of Defence official from York is set to tell an employment tribunal that having to peddle “Government lies” about soldiers’ safety in Iraq caused him post-traumatic stress disorder.

John Salisbury-Baker, a press officer based at Imphal Barracks, will claim he had to “defend the morally indefensible” when telling the media that army vehicles – such as Snatch Land Rovers – were adequately equipped to withstand roadside bombs.

Mr Salisbury-Baker, 62, of Holgate Road, will also speak of the intolerable stress he went through in visiting and helping more than a dozen families devastated by the deaths of their loved ones, who had often been killed by such bombs.

His controversial allegations, which could cause further difficulties for a Government already under fire over its efforts to cut compensation for soldiers wounded in Afghanistan, were revealed today by his partner, Christine Brooke.

She said: “John is an honest, sensitive and moral person, and having to peddle Government lies that soldiers in vehicles such as the Snatch Land Rovers were safe from roadside bombs made him stressed.

“He was particularly plagued by the thought that some of the bereaved families he was visiting might have previously believed their loved ones were safe, because of what he himself had said to the media.

“He felt responsible. He felt he was having to defend the morally indefensible. The vehicles clearly did not give adequate protection from bombs.

“He has been diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder by his doctor and is pursuing a claim for disability discrimination, on the grounds that the stress of what he was being asked to do effectively made him disabled.

“John worked at Imphal from 1996 until he went on sick leave in August 2007, in the latter years as Defence Press Officer for the three Armed Services in the north-east. About 30 per cent of the Army’s soldiers are recruited from this region, and therefore about 30 per cent of the deaths in Iraq happened in his patch.

“His job was to visit families just hours after an officer had called to tell them the news that their loved ones were dead. His role was to provide a ‘media shield’ to help them deal with media interest after their deaths had been made public, and would often attend their funerals later.

“He helped more than a dozen families through this traumatic time, whereas I believe the officers deployed to give the bad news to families only had this duty once, with the role passed on to someone else the next time. He sometimes attended funerals at the same church on more than one occasion.”

She claimed he had not been given specific training to deal with the stress of such work.

She said other factors had played a part in his ill health, including angina and office changes in 2007 which had contributed to his stress.

She also said the claim had already been to a number of preliminary hearings in Leeds, and was likely to go to a full employment tribunal later this year unless a compromise is reached.

Asked to comment on Ms Brooke’s claims, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “It would be inappropriate to comment when employment tribunal proceedings are pending.”