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Minister to probe soldier case
A GOVERNMENT minister is to investigate how officials treated a Stourbridge widow after her soldier husband's death.
The pledge to probe the case of Sergeant Mick Thompson by Defence Minister Derek Twigg MP came after pressure from Stourbridge MP Lynda Waltho in the House of Commons.
Mick's wife Tina Thompson is locked in a bitter legal battle with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) over their refusal to pay a full widow's pension after Mick was killed in a traffic collision on the island of Cyprus in 2005.
Mrs Waltho said: "I am sure that most right-thinking people would agree with me that Mrs Thompson should not have been forced to such lengths to try and get the support she deserves."
The MOD say Tina, and the couple's young son Aidan, are only entitled to half a pension because Mick was off duty when he was killed, despite the fact he was travelling to work at his base when tragedy struck.
Following the initial pension decision, Tina won an appeal at a tribunal but the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency refused to pay the full pension, the case is now heading to the Court of Appeal.
Tina has already been forced to sell her home in the Old Quarter of Stourbridge and could face a legal bill of tens of thousands of pounds if she loses her appeal.
Mrs Waltho said: "Unfortunately the Minister was unable to comment on the specifics of Tina's case as the legal case is still ongoing, however, he did agree to look into other dissatisfactory aspects of her treatment.
"These include the lack of support she has received from the Army, the inability of the authorities in Cyprus to release the papers needed for an inquest without a request from the Attorney General, the lack of information on what action the Army is taking against the third party and what has happened to her husband's personal effects.
"Surely, as a nation we are obliged to treat our service personnel and their relatives with respect and compassion, sentiments which appear to be sadly lacking in this case".
2:23pm Wednesday 26th March 2008
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