A former soldier is suing the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for around £150,000 after claiming that top bosses exposed him to the British winter weather without adequate protection from the elements.
Michael Asiamah told the High Court that he suffered a “cold-related” condition during various exercises which were held during the winter months, because the Army had failed to equip him with cold weather gear such as boots, gloves, socks and mittens.
The Ghanaian-born former trooper also claimed that his commanders exposed him to cold conditions despite knowing that Africans feel the cold more acutely than Britons.
Asiamah, 36, is claiming damages for alleged negligence after he reported suffered “nonfreezing cold injury” in 2016.
MoD Chiefs are planning to fight his claim.
However, lawyers acting for Mr Asiamah say that the manoeuvres on Salisbury Plain and Naseby Battlefield in Leicester during the winter months left him with numbness pain to his hands and feet.
Three years later and he says that he is still suffering from the effects of being exposed to the cold weather and has allegedly had to ditch his plans of becoming a PE instructor.
Mr Asiamah, who runs an evangelical church near his home in Tidworth, Wilts, says he risks aggravating his symptoms if he goes out in temperatures below 15C.
According to official court papers, Mr Asiamiah said he was exposed to 18 hours of freezing and windy conditions during Exercise Scorpion in March 2016 after being posted to Salisbury Plain with the Royal Tank Regiment.
He said that the MoD knew that people of black Caribbean and African origin are more susceptible to cold injuries.
His superiors apparently failed to warn him to take cold weather boots or socks whilst on exercise.
Asiamah maintains that when he reported his symptoms to the chain of command, then the patrol commander told him to carry on.
Mr Asiamah’s writ claims research by the Army Medical Corps in 2009 showed that black British Army soldiers were 30 times more likely than their white counterparts to develop cold injury.
Defence bosses say Mr Asiamah did have the appropriate kit for Salisbury Plain and that there was no need for a risk assessment on the battlefield tour.
An MoD spokesman told the Express.co.uk:
“It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing legal investigation.
“However, all service personnel are provided with the correct clothing, equipment and training.”
If you have a story, video or one-off blog that you would like to share with us, then you can contact our team of former emergency services & armed forces personnel either through our Facebook page, via twitter ( @ES_News_ ) or you can contact us via email: contact@emergency-services.news
If you would like to write an article that you would like us to share (it can be about anything to do with the emergency services / NHS) whether you serve in the emergency services / NHS or whether you are a member of the public that has had a good experience with the emergency services, then feel free to contact our team; anonymously if you prefer.
We are proud to act as a voice for the Emergency Services & Health Service, with over 450,000 people visiting our website each month.
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories & videos which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services & NHS by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' back in 2018 was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services & NHS which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of you, our readers.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
