A campaign by the Sun newspaper has raised £10 million for military veterans. In September, the newspaper launched a campaign to help the Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal which was in crisis because of the pandemic. A host of celebrities, including David Beckham, who took poppies to Chelsea Pensioners, backed the campaign. It is…
Veterans of the First Gulf War have urged those struggling with the horrors of conflict 30 years later to seek help for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).The First Gulf War ended on 28 February 1991, following the conclusion of Operation Desert Storm, as allied forces forced Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi troops to retreat from Kuwait.Forty-seven British personnel were among the fatalities,…
The Armed Forces Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons yesterday. The Bill will embed the Military Covenant – a pledge to ensure the Armed Forces community is treated fairly – into law by introducing a legal duty for relevant UK public bodies to have due regard to its principles. Commenting on…
Hilary Meredith has criticised the government’s “contradictory” stance on the Armed Forces Covenant. A new Bill is being brought forward today that will see the Armed Forces Covenant enshrined in law. It will embed the Covenant into law by introducing a legal duty for relevant UK public bodies to have due regard to the principles…
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is closing a preliminary probe into claims of killings and torture of Iraqi prisoners by British troops between 2003 and 2008 and will not open a full-scale investigation because UK authorities have investigated the allegations. Hilary Meredith, Chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors and Visiting Professor of Law and Veterans’ Affairs…
There are a range of glaring omissions in the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill while time limits in Section 2 of the Bill should be scapped entirely and veterans under criminal investigation should have access to an independent advocate – according to evidence provided to today’s Scrutiny Committee by lawyer Hilary Meredith. Addressing…
Hilary Meredith, Chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors, has accepted a new three-year term as Visiting Professor of Law and Veterans’ Affairs at the University of Chester.The University of Chester, founded in 1893, is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the country. In her role as Visiting Professor, Hilary will continue to support the…
A British ex-soldier has been cleared over the death of an Iraqi teenager, after 17 years of investigations.Saeed Shabram’s family say he drowned after being forced into a river by UK soldiers in Basra in 2003. But a report published on Thursday By The Right Hon. Baroness Hallett D.B.E. said there was no reliable evidence that…
The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill has passed its second reading in the House of Commons. Hilary Meredith, Chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors and Visiting Professor of Law and Veterans’ Affairs at the University of Chester says the Bill has a way to go before it reaches its final stages. “There is a…
Veterans for Britain has appointed Hilary Meredith to its Board.Hilary, founder and Chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors and Visiting Professor of Law and Veterans’ Affairs at the University of Chester, is a solicitor, lobbyist and campaigner with decades of experience representing UK service personnel, their families and military veterans.Hilary’s career in protecting the welfare of…
Hilary Meredith has backed calls for reforms to the Inquest system – specifically in relation to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).Justice’s latest report, When Things Go Wrong: the response of the justice system this week called for urgent reform to major inquests and inquiries, saying the current system often leaves bereaved families and survivors feeling…
The Sunday People has revealed that thousands of British soldiers could be suffering from untreated brain injuries after being blown up while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. US defence chiefs believe that up to 20 per cent of all troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan could have a traumatic brain injury (TBI). America’s Defence…
www.ihatjustice.co.uk British soldiers falsely accused of brutality and abuses against Iraqi civilians between 2003 and 2009 are preparing a landmark legal action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Iraq Historic Allegations Team, which hounded thousands of innocent troops, was shut down on 30 June 2017. Countless lives were ruined by the £60m probe –…
Hilary Meredith Solicitors has continued its expansion by promoting Adrian Mullen and Lucia Parkinson to partners. The promotions come after a strong year for Hilary Meredith Solicitors, with the specialist military law firm securing a number of life-changing personal injury and clinical negligence settlements for service personnel, veterans and their families. With a scientific and…
British soldiers who have been accused of committing war crimes in Iraq are unlikely to face criminal prosecution.Independent investigators were asked to look at thousands of allegations made against the British military after the invasion of Iraq in 2003.But the director of the Service Prosecution Authority (SPA) said just one remaining case was being examined.Andrew…
Government urged to follow its own guidance so army veterans can receive desperately needed payments
Hilary Meredith Solicitors is calling on the Government to follow its own return to work guidance so that army veterans can receive desperately needed payments. Veterans UK, the support organisation responsible for administering the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), remains unaware of pre-lockdown Tribunal decisions and unable to process casework and payments. Hilary Meredith Solicitors…
Hilary Meredith, who acts for service personnel, veterans and their families and provided evidence to the Drawing a Line: Protecting Veterans by a Statute of Limitations Inquiry, has called for all veterans facing investigation to be guaranteed immediate access to independent legal advice. The Defence Committee yesterday published the Government’s Response to the previous Committee’s…
Veterans UK, the support organisation responsible for administering the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), remains unaware of pre-lockdown Tribunal decisions and unable to process payments. Hilary Meredith Solicitors has been in communication with Veterans UK over an urgently needed payment for an army veteran who won his appeal at Tribunal on 18 March 2020, five…
Hilary Meredith Solicitors is calling for “combat immunity” to be extended to doctors and nurses – giving them greater legal protection in the fight against COVID-19. Widely known for its work on behalf of armed forces service personnel, veterans and their families, Hilary Meredith Solicitors says battlefield legal principles should apply to medics in their…