£100K Compensation Awarded to Female Recruits for Injuries Sustained While Marching In-Step with Men
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has compensated three female RAF recruits for pelvic and back injuries sustained while marching alongside taller male colleagues.
Throughout the five year legal battle, the women have claimed that while undergoing training at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, the marching stride was increased from the usual 27 inches for women, to the standard 30 inches for men.
The women, aged 17, 22, and 23 at the time, have received a Ministry of Defence pay out of £100,000 each – more than is awarded to soldiers shot in Afghanistan.
The latest estimate for MoD compensation spending suggests that currently the bill stands at £108.9million – an increase of £21million on the previous financial year.
Former Defence Minister Gerald Howarth commented:
The defence budget is strapped and we’re making 20,000 troops redundant,
yet these former recruits are being paid six-figure sums.
“Every pound they’ve been awarded should be clawed back by
offsetting their compensation against future earnings.”
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