Family of Gulf War veteran face new battle

10:18am Tuesday 20th November 2007

THE father of Gulf War veteran Terry Walker revealed today he is waging a new battle for justice - after winning his fight for a fair war pension.

Ted Walker said an inquest into his son's death would be held next month, but it would not look into the part played by Gulf War syndrome in Terry's demise.

He said Newcastle Coroner David Mitford intended to investigate only the failure of a heart transplant earlier this year, and not the years of ill health and stress that Ted believes eventually led to Terry needing the operation.

The coroner said in a letter to Ted, of Wheldrake, near York: "This is not an issue which I feel should properly arise as part of the inquest proceedings."

Ted said his lawyer was planning to challenge this decision and ask for medical witnesses to be called to the inquest, who could give evidence about Terry's long-term health problems.

The Press launched its Justice For Terry campaign in the summer, after revealing that the former Lance Corporal had died aged 48 after a failed heart transplant operation in Newcastle, leaving two children.

His parents, Ted and Hazel, said that while their son died after complications set in following the transplant, they were firmly convinced that his exposure to radiation and inoculations in the Gulf War was the ultimate root cause of his death.

They also believed the stress caused by a "heartless" decision to cut his war pension by 60 per cent last Christmas was another factor behind him suffering a heart attack in the spring, which prompted the transplant surgery.

The newspaper then launched a campaign for Terry's family to receive the full pension to which they were entitled.

Ted said today that three key Government decisions had together made it a successful campaign - firstly, to restore a percentage of Terry's war pension to help Ted and Heather raise his bereaved daughter, Kirsty, 13, secondly, to help fund Terry's funeral and thirdly, to accept that the pension cut was a grave mistake and to issue a formal apology to his family in the House of Lords.

"The Press has played a big part in this victory and we're very grateful," he said. "It has also played an important role in making people in the local community aware, and we have had a lot of support in the village."

Mr Mitford declined to comment to The Press, other than to say he had not yet received any reply to his letter from either Mr Walker or his solicitor.

Mr Walker's lawyer, Mark McGhee, of Linder Myers solicitors of Manchester, said he would be writing to the coroner within the next week, asking him to reconsider the nature and scope of the inquest to take into account Terry's military service.

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