Latest news with #RoyalHorseArtillery
Times
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Invictus medallist in £1.7m injury claim filmed ‘walking dog'
Army chiefs are at war with an Invictus games winner who was 'caught on tape dog walking' despite making a £1.7 million court claim over an injury. Debbie O'Connell, a former trainee with the King's Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery, has told a judge that her arm was left virtually useless after she fell from a mount. O'Connell is said to have shattered her left collarbone in four places when she fell from a parade horse called Electra Jazz in 2015. She has told a hearing at the High Court that the injury left her with chronic arm and shoulder pain.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Soldier who became gold-winning para athlete after military accident LIED about her disability, Ministry of Defence claims in £1.7m case
A former solider who became a gold medal-winning para athlete after a military accident is accused of lying about her disability to bring a £1.74million compensation bid against the Ministry of Defence. Debbie O'Connell, 37, who served as a gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery, claims her arm was left virtually useless after she fell from an army horse in 2015. But the MoD has claimed she is exaggerating her symptoms after secret video footage showed her leading a difficult horse, walking her dog and lifting and moving heavy items. Ms O'Connell shattered her left collarbone in four places when she fell from the parade horse, leading to damage which she says left her with chronic pain in her left arm and shoulder. She was training as a mounted gunner with the Royal Horse Artillery's crack squadron, the King's Troop, but ended up being discharged from the forces two years later. However, she went on to forge a successful career in para athletics, winning gold medals for cycling at the Invictus Games in 2018, sprinting at European and world level, and becoming a leading CrossFit competitor. She also began a £2.4million compensation claim against the MoD - later reduced to £1.74million - claiming that she was injured due to the actions of a horse which had a tendency to buck and throw riders. But the MoD is fighting the claim and accusing Ms O'Connell of 'fundamental dishonesty' in exaggerating the impact of her injuries to boost her case, while 'dishonestly' pursuing a para athletics career in a category she 'does not fall within.' Debbie O'Connell pictured competing in the Women's 1500m IT7 during the Athletics at the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney, Australia MoD barrister Niazi Fetto KC told Judge Christopher Kennedy KC that undercover surveillance had resulted in footage showing Ms O'Connell is not as disabled as she claims. While she had told experts she had very little use of her left arm, the footage showed her leading a difficult horse, walking a dog, and lifting and moving heavy items. He said she had participated as a T46 category para athlete, which is for competitors with limb impairments 'comparable to the activity limitations' in running and jumping with an 'athlete with a unilateral above elbow amputation.' But he claimed she had been 'fundamentally dishonest in relation to the claim' because she 'has relied upon her dishonest pursuit of a para-athletics career in the knowledge that her condition does not fall within the T46 category.' However, giving evidence, Ms O'Connor, of Lincoln, denied being dishonest, insisting that her damages claim is genuine and that allegations of 'cheating' are 'not credible' because she fits squarely into the T46 classification. She told the court she had simply 'described my condition' when asked and been given the classification, which she said is in line with other athletes she competes against. Additionally, as a soldier she had been taught to 'push through pain' and, in pursuing her athletics career, is simply doing her best to make the most of her life, despite her injury. The court heard Ms O'Connell was injured when taking part in a training exercise with two colleagues. The exercise was to see all three riders turn the same way, but the other two didn't and Ms O'Connor's horse, Electra Jazz, reacted by bucking and throwing her to the ground. She sustained a bad fracture to her left collarbone, which was fixed with a plate and screws, but claims she went on to develop disabling pain in her left shoulder and arm. Giving evidence, she told the judge that para sports became a central part of her life after her accident and admitted that she perhaps 'lived for it.' She competed in the Invictus Games in 2018, winning two gold and two silver medals, before also competing in para athletics as a sprinter and also in CrossFit, which tests the fitness and endurance of athletes. But defending the £1.74m damages claim against it, the MoD claims that Ms O'Connell is not as disabled as she has claimed, pointing to secretly shot surveillance footage. 'In 2020 and in 2022, the defendant obtained video surveillance evidence which it disclosed in spring 2022,' MOD barrister Mr Fetto told the judge. 'The footage shows the claimant using her left shoulder and arm in ways which are grossly inconsistent with her accounts and presentation to the medical and care experts.' He said incidents in the footage showed her walking a dog, which she had claimed she was unable to do, and carrying out various activities surrounding horses. These included moving large objects into a horse box and even 'trying to lead/pull a reluctant horse into a horsebox, apparently using both hands.' In contrast, she had told the BBC in an interview in 2018 that her arm 'doesn't work,' and had 'represented near-total restriction of movement in the left shoulder' to an orthopaedic expert that year. In November 2021, she told a care expert: 'I don't have the strength in my arms to hold the dog's leash,' the barrister continued, which was at odds with the surveillance footage. That same year, she had described being unable to carry much more than a piece of paper in her left hand and that she was unable to even chop vegetables, he added. However, he said the covert video showed 'normal or near-normal use' of her arm and shoulder and claimed that she had 'knowingly misrepresented and/or exaggerated the nature and effects of the injuries for which she claims.' 'The video surveillance footage evidence from 2000 and 2022 shows the claimant using her left arm and shoulder in such ways, which fundamentally contradicts the basis of her claim,' said the barrister. 'Further or in the alternative, an essential component of the claims for past and future lost earnings, and for loss of pension, is the claimant's case that she has reasonably pursued a career as a professional para-athlete in the T46 - or equivalent - category, rather than taking any other steps in mitigation of her losses. 'The T46 category is defined as follows: "Athletes have a unilateral upper limb impairment that affects the shoulder and/or elbow joint of one arm and which is comparable to the activity limitations in running and jumps roughly comparable to that found in an athlete with a unilateral above elbow amputation. Athletes who have impairments of both arms, affecting elbow and wrist and roughly comparable to the activity limitations experienced by an athlete with bilateral through wrist / below elbow amputations of both arms, or an athlete with one above elbow amputation and one below elbow amputation, will also be placed in this class." 'In light of the last of those points, the claimant has been fundamentally dishonest in relation to the claim, and/or at least in relation to the claims for loss of earnings and pension, because she has relied upon her dishonest pursuit of a para-athletics career in the knowledge that her condition does not fall within the T46 category. 'The true condition of the claimant's left arm and shoulder is not comparable to that found in an athlete with a unilateral above elbow amputation, as the video evidence demonstrates.' But Ms O'Connor strenuously denied any dishonesty and said that, although notes for her para athletics classification stated she had nerve damage to her Brachial plexus - which she accepted she has not - those were not the words she had used herself. 'They asked me to describe my condition,' she told the judge from the witness box, adding that the documents were also incorrect in stating she has 'no power due to no movement' in her arm. 'It's their wording,' she said. 'I can't remember what I said...I have some power to my left arm. What they have written isn't wholly correct.' Defending Ms O'Connell, her barrister Nigel Lewers KC said: 'At the heart of the defendant's case on fundamental dishonesty is the assertion that the claimant is dishonestly competing as a T46 athlete. 'This is not credible. Far from cheating, the claimant is disadvantaged compared to others in the T46 cohort as she runs without movement in her left upper limb. 'This is an unusual case. The claimant is a professional athlete and former soldier, she has been taught to push through pain. 'If the defendant were correct in their assertion that the claimant is dishonest and has brought a dishonest claim, then in support of her dishonest claim she has undergone surgery under general anaesthetic, multiple invasive procedures, including two nerve blocks, caused herself to suffer right hamstring issues and funded extensive treatment. 'The court is invited to find that this is an honest claimant who is resilient and determined to fulfil her potential, despite having lost both her career and way of life in the army. 'The claimant deserves to be compensated.' He added: 'She recovered orthopaedically, but has been left with neuropathic pain, weakness, restriction of movement and hypersensitivity. 'Her condition was originally diagnosed as chronic regional pain syndrome but, on the basis of her ongoing symptoms, it is now considered to be neuropathic pain by the pain experts. 'It is not accepted that when all of the evidence is considered, there are inconsistencies between the video footage and the claimant's account. 'It is wrong to consider the surveillance in isolation. It is only a snapshot over nearly 10 years.' As well as accusing Ms O'Connell of being 'dishonest' in relation to the lasting nature and extent of her injuries, the MoD is contesting her claims that it was at fault for her accident at all. 'Jazz had no known tendency to buck, let alone violently, and did not buck violently on the date of the accident, or try to stamp on the claimant,' Mr Fetto argued. 'Jazz was of sound, even temperament, and the buck which caused the claimant to fall was small, was the only one of the session, and followed a loss of balance in the saddle. 'It was reasonable to allocate Jazz to the claimant and no additional assessment, training or warning was required ahead of doing so.' On her claims that she was given size 11 boots to wear when she should be a five or six, he said her footwear was 'reasonably safe and suitable.' The King's Troop is a ceremonial unit of the Royal Horse Artillery, tasked with driving teams of six horses pulling First World War era cannons during high-profile public displays. Troopers wear a distinctive blue and gold uniform dating back to the Napoleonic wars and are called on to fire the royal salutes marking grand-scale state occasions, such as the King's birthday. The trial continues.
Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Trooping the Colour: How to watch King's birthday celebration
Trooping the Colour, the centuries-old parade that officially commemorates the King's birthday, will take place in London on Saturday. A TV audience from around the world will join official guests – peers, politicians and ambassadors – in viewing the Royal spectacle. More than 1,400 soldiers of the Household Division and King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery will be taking part in the parade, including over 400 musicians from the Massed Bands. It will also include 250 soldiers from the Foot Guards, who will line the processional route along The Mall. This is the third time the event has been held in King Charles III's honour. The King will take part in the parade but will follow the same protocol as last year and appear in a carriage rather than on horseback. This is deemed safer and more comfortable for him after his cancer diagnosis in 2024. What time is Trooping the Colour? The Horse Guards Parade is scheduled to begin at 10.30am on Saturday, June 14, although members of the public wishing to watch from The Mall or St James's Park are advised to arrive from 9am. The parade will last until 12.25pm and, weather dependent, a fly-past led by the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows will pass across the skies above Buckingham Palace shortly after 1pm. What is Trooping the Colour? Formally called the 'King's Birthday Parade', but known to most as Trooping the Colour, the ceremony is the annual celebration of the Sovereign's 'official' birthday. Not to be confused with the King's natural birthday in November, when he turns 77, the ceremony is an annual tradition dating back to 1760 and the reign of King George III, who was born in June. It will be His Majesty's duty to take the salute as over a thousand soldiers and hundreds of horses and musicians march in what is easily the most colourful and impressive of all Royal events – save the Coronation itself. This year, the Irish Guards will 'troop' or display their uniform and insignia colours for the King, who is Colonel in Chief of the seven Guards' regiments of the Household Division. Five of those regimental bands, each representing one of the foot guards, will assemble in Horse Guards Parade. The Irish Guards mascot, an Irish Wolf Hound named Turlough Mor but affectionately known as Seamus, will also be led across the square by a scarlet-coated drummer and presented to the regiment as the soldiers line up. Where to watch Trooping the Colour Those who will not be in central London to attend the parade in person will be able to follow BBC One's live UK broadcast of Trooping the Colour from 10.30am on Saturday morning. Highlights of the coverage will then be shown on BBC Two at 7pm. How to get Trooping the Colour tickets Tickets for seating in the grandstand surrounding Horse Guards Parade for Trooping the Colour are allocated by ballot, with a maximum of four tickets per applicant. Tickets cost £30 each and can be purchased online from the Army's website. Where is Trooping the Colour held? The parade will be held in central London, with the route beginning at Buckingham Palace, running along The Mall and around the corner of St James's Park to Horse Guards Parade. Horse Guards Parade is the site of the daily Changing of the Guard and is located adjacent to Whitehall and The Household Cavalry Museum. The closest Tube stations are Charing Cross and Westminster. What is the Dress Code? According to the Household Division, the event is a formal State Ceremonial Parade in the presence of His Majesty The King and therefore those attending are 'required to dress accordingly'. Their guidance says: 'Morning dress or lounge suit for gentlemen, equivalent for ladies (strictly no denim, shorts or sandals). 'Hats are optional but are recommended for paying compliments to His Majesty and the Colours as they pass, as well as giving the necessary protection from the sun.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump could withdraw troops from Europe. His army has other ideas
6am please Vid link here: As a handful of Fox Battery US Marines fired up their Himars alongside Royal Horse Artillery Gunners loading up their MLRS, they knew they were about to make defence history. For the first time, British and American troops were to use their signature multiple rocket launch systems simultaneously. It would also be the first time either would be fired on the strategic Swedish island of Gotland, less than 200 miles from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and its Baltic fleet. Five loud thuds boomed across the firing range as the dummy rockets streaked through the early morning sky before disappearing from sight somewhere in the Baltic Sea: a successful launch. These joint US-European military exercises are being held against the backdrop of a souring in relationships between the US and its Nato allies since Donald Trump became president again in January. But when asked what he thinks of his commander-in-chief this week having a two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin, the leader of the country that is the unspoken enemy at the heart of all of these military exercises, American Capt Justin Miller shrugs. 'Regardless of what's going on, we're out here, we're training with Nato,' he says. 'We're in Sweden at the moment, Norway yesterday and we're gonna go to Finland in a few days. And we're gonna continue to do so until told otherwise.' '[The Nato alliance] still feels strong to me.' Mr Trump has repeatedly accused Europe of riding on the US's coattails in terms of defence spending and has praised Russian leader Putin rather than punishing him for invading Ukraine. At the Munich Security Conference in February, JD Vance, the US vice-president, made headlines by saying the greatest threat facing the continent was not from Russia but 'from within', adding that Europe needed to 'step up' and provide for its own defence. Shortly afterwards, Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, was revealed to have described Europe as 'pathetic' freeloaders in a leaked Signal chat. He has also warned American military presence in Europe is not 'forever.' The slew of unprecedented criticism has led to speculation that Europe can no longer rely on the US to protect it from Russia and that the Nato alliance is on its last legs. But the political schisms do not appear to have filtered through to the US military, which has 84,000 service members posted in more than 40 bases across the Continent. 'The political leaders are gonna do their thing, I will say that from what I've seen, we haven't changed at all,' explains Lt Col Zach Leuthardt, a public affairs officer for the US Marines in Europe and Africa. 'It's hard to tell at our level that the things that are going on at the political level are happening. It doesn't affect us. We are committed to the alliance.' The drills on Gotland are part of the Swift Response phase of the US's annual Defender series - officially known as the Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for Nato Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness exercise. Over the next six weeks, some 12,000 US troops – including 5,000 flying over from the States – will buddy up with 13,000 European and Nato ally soldiers to practise everything from live firing and river crossings to resupplying a field hospital with blood via drones. It's a huge undertaking that is designed to showcase US-European cohesion and interoperability – defence ministry jargon for how well different countries' armies can work together. Lt Col Leuthardt has been based in the US European Command's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, since last July. He said the election of Mr Trump last November hasn't affected anything in his work. 'Nothing on our schedule from the time I've got here has changed. We haven't scaled it down. Nobody's gone home. 'We've got a fresh batch of new people coming in this summer to take on those roles and continue the planning. So from my operational and tactical level, nothing's really changed for us.' The fact that live fire drills are being held on Sweden's Gotland island for the first time is telling given its strategic importance in protecting the Baltics from Moscow. 'It's a very good sign from the US defence forces that they want to do this security signal together with us towards the Russians,' said Peter Hulqvist, Sweden's former defence minister from 2014-22 and now chair of the Defence Committee. 'It continues the cooperation that we built up with the United States some years before.' The drill also involved British 16th Air Assault Brigade soldiers parachuted in and fought off the 'enemy' (local Swedish troops) to secure a tactical landing zone for the Himars and MLRS. Watching the UK's elite paras jump out of an A400 plane and float gently down to the green field below, Lt Col Leuthardt had glowing words of praise for the US's European partners – especially the British. 'It's like working with other Americans,' he says. 'It's super simple and they're super-professional and we've had a blast. My eyes are open to how well this alliance works together. 'We have the same values: democracy and defence of our nations. It's like hanging out with cousins.' Back at the Tofta firing range, after the historic joint missile launch, US Marines Staff Sgt Caleb Thayer smiles proudly at its success. ' A little bit of shock and awe,' he says. 'We just got off the bird [plane] probably 45 minutes ago. So we were just shooting from the hip and it all went to plan. And that's all we can ask for: good co-operation and communication and everybody gets along, I guess. We're super happy to be here.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trump could withdraw troops from Europe. His army has other ideas
As a handful of Fox Battery US Marines fired up their Himars alongside Royal Horse Artillery Gunners loading up their MLRS, they knew they were about to make defence history. For the first time, British and American troops were to use their signature multiple launch rocket systems simultaneously. It would also be the first time either would be fired on the strategic Swedish island of Gotland, less than 200 miles from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and its Baltic fleet. Five loud thuds boomed across the firing range as the dummy rockets streaked through the early morning sky before disappearing from sight somewhere in the Baltic Sea: a successful launch. These joint US-European military exercises are being held against the backdrop of a souring in relationships between the US and its Nato allies since Donald Trump became president again in January. But when asked what he thinks of his commander-in-chief this week having a two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin, the leader of the country that is the unspoken enemy at the heart of all of these military exercises, American Capt Justin Miller shrugs. 'We're training with Nato' 'Regardless of what's going on, we're out here, we're training with Nato,' he says. 'We're in Sweden at the moment, Norway yesterday and we're gonna go to Finland in a few days. And we're gonna continue to do so until told otherwise.' '[The Nato alliance] still feels strong to me.' Mr Trump has repeatedly accused Europe of riding on the US's coat tails in terms of defence spending and has praised Russian leader Putin rather than punishing him for invading Ukraine. At the Munich Security Conference in February, JD Vance, the US vice-president, made headlines by saying the greatest threat facing the continent was not from Russia but 'from within', adding that Europe needed to 'step up' and provide for its own defence. Shortly afterwards, Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, was revealed to have described Europe as 'pathetic' freeloaders in a leaked chat on the messaging service Signal. He has also warned American military presence in Europe is not 'forever.' The slew of unprecedented criticism has led to speculation that Europe can no longer rely on the US to protect it from Russia and that the Nato alliance is on its last legs. But the political schisms do not appear to have filtered through to the US military, which has 84,000 service members posted in more than 40 bases across the Continent. 'The political leaders are gonna do their thing, I will say that from what I've seen, we haven't changed at all,' explains Lt Col Zach Leuthardt, a public affairs officer for the US Marines in Europe and Africa. 'It's hard to tell at our level that the things that are going on at the political level are happening. It doesn't affect us. We are committed to the alliance.' The drills on Gotland are part of the Swift Response phase of the US's annual Defender series – officially known as the Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for Nato Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness exercise. Over the next six weeks, some 12,000 US troops – including 5,000 arriving from the States – will buddy up with 13,000 European and Nato ally soldiers to practise everything from live firing and river crossings to using drones to resupply a field hospital with blood. It's a huge undertaking that is designed to showcase US-European cohesion and interoperability – defence ministry jargon for how well different countries' armies can work together. 'We haven't scaled it down' Lt Col Leuthardt has been based in the US European Command's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, since last July. He said the election of Mr Trump last November hasn't affected anything in his work. 'Nothing on our schedule from the time I've got here has changed. We haven't scaled it down. Nobody's gone home. 'We've got a fresh batch of new people coming in this summer to take on those roles and continue the planning. So from my operational and tactical level, nothing's really changed for us.' The fact that live fire drills are being held on Gotland for the first time is telling given its strategic importance in protecting the Baltics from Moscow. 'It's a very good sign from the US defence forces that they want to do this security signal together with us towards the Russians,' said Peter Hulqvist, Sweden's former defence minister from 2014-22 and now chair of the defence committee. 'It continues the co-operation that we built up with the United States some years before.' The drill also involved British 16th Air Assault Brigade soldiers parachuting in and fighting off the 'enemy' (local Swedish troops) to secure a tactical landing zone for the Himars and MLRS. Watching the UK's elite paras jump out of an A400 plane and float gently down to the green field below, Lt Col Leuthardt had glowing words of praise for the US's European partners – especially the British. 'We have the same values' 'It's like working with other Americans,' he says. 'It's super-simple and they're super-professional and we've had a blast. My eyes are open to how well this alliance works together. 'We have the same values: democracy and defence of our nations. It's like hanging out with cousins.' Back at the Tofta firing range, after the historic joint missile launch, US Marines Staff Sgt Caleb Thayer smiles proudly at its success. ' A little bit of shock and awe,' he says. 'We just got off the bird [plane] probably 45 minutes ago. So we were just shooting from the hip and it all went to plan. And that's all we can ask for: good co-operation and communication and everybody gets along, I guess. We're super-happy to be here.'
