MoD secretly kept body parts of troops killed in Afghanistan from grieving families

• The number of families and soldiers affected is smaller than 60 since multiple samples of human tissue have been retained in each case
• Military whistleblower: 'These have been retained illegally for no good purpose'
• The MoD would not say whether any disciplinary action has been taken

Military sources say the find is evidence of systematic abuse of rules which govern the way body parts are handled when forensic investigations are carried out on the bodies of soldiers.
MoD sources said the parts needed to be kept as part of investigations where the SIB need to ‘match ballistics’ and for the purposes of ‘identifying people in the future’ – which may refer to matching future body part finds.
But a military whistleblower said: ‘These have been retained illegally for no good purpose and should have been buried with their owners.

Concerning: British soldiers from B Company, 2 Mercian wait for a helicopter before leaving on an operation in Malgir, Helmand province in 2009

‘There is a strict procedure for accounting for body parts needed for forensic testing, and this has clearly been ignored; it is likely that coroners and pathologists have been misled as well.’

 

The number of families and soldiers affected is smaller than 60 since multiple samples of human tissue have been retained in each case.

Worry: Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said the allegations were 'concerning'

But MoD officials admit they do not know how exactly many servicemen are involved.
An Army spokesman said: ‘There are occasions when it is necessary for the RMP Special Investigations Branch to retain slides of forensic material from individuals killed on operations as part of their investigation.
‘However, the RMP identified a small number of cases where this had been done without the correct processes being followed to inform families.
‘Investigations are being carried out urgently into this matter. The RMP Special Investigations Branch has also taken swift action to ensure this cannot happen again and are identifying the families affected as quickly as possible.’
The body parts were retained during the tenure of Sergeant-Major Andrew Bishop, who was made an MBE for services to forensic science.
MoD officials said he is now leaving the Army on a medical discharge having suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after attending multiple post-mortem examinations at Bulford.
But whistleblowers say some responsibility also lies with Colonel Len Wassell, who was commanding officer of the Special Investigations Branch between October 2008 and August 2010.
Insiders say Colonel Wassell was Sergeant-Major Bishop’s direct superior and should have supervised procedures for the proper handling of any body parts needed for forensic testing.
The MoD would not say whether any disciplinary action has been taken.
But Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said: ‘If there are individuals responsible for allowing this type of thing to happen they must certainly be held to account.
‘Allegations like these are very serious and there must be an investigation. Everything must be done to see that this type of thing cannot be allowed to happen.’
Major General Patrick Cordingley, commander of the Desert Rats in the 1991 Gulf War, said: ‘It is the most tragic mistake and it will cause deep distress to families who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan.’
Shadow Armed Forces Minister Kevan Jones said: ‘This is shocking and offensive. People will be aghast that heroic service personnel could be treated in this way.
‘We must be given the full details of what has happened. If there has been a cover-up the truth must be exposed and we must establish if any law has been broken.