Newly revealed emails indicate that legal representatives of the Government were aware of military personnel being exposed to radioactive fallout but did not disclose this information in court.
Key officials at the Treasury Solicitor’s department received a whistleblowing report in November 2014, shortly after a judge had ordered new hearings. Despite this, the information contained in the report was not shared with the court, leading to the case being unsuccessful two years later due to a lack of evidence of servicemen being exposed.
Campaigners are expecting an announcement in Parliament regarding the findings of a two-year review on missing medical records and human experimentation, known as the Nuked Blood Scandal.
A widow named Anna Smith, who was battling the Ministry of Defence for a war pension, expressed frustration, stating, “It’s evil. It’s perverting the course of justice. There’s no moral compass. We spent years in court, the grief and the burden of it, the solicitors who spent hours fighting on our behalf, and it was a waste of time. And all these people knew. Why didn’t they say?”
Anna’s husband, Barry, was deployed to Christmas Island by the RAF in 1959, where he was involved in decontamination tasks. He later developed pancreatic cancer but passed away before the Ministry of Defence agreed to a hearing, ultimately rejecting Anna’s claim.
In a recent development, whistleblowers discovered evidence of fallout on Christmas Island, contradicting the MoD’s previous denial of any risk. The fallout was found in various sources such as fish, rainwater, seawater, and the air following thermonuclear blasts under Operation Grapple.
Emails obtained through Freedom of Information requests revealed that the original data on fallout was not accurately represented in official denials. This information was circulated among several MoD staff, prompting discussions at senior levels within the department.
A legal representative from McCue Jury, representing the veterans, expressed concern over the non-disclosure of these documents during legal proceedings, indicating a potential offense of perverting the course of justice. The matter has been reported to Thames Valley Police, urging swift action and investigation by the Prime Minister.
Despite showing the emails to ministers in March, no official action has been taken. The MoD stated that the document in question was an unfinished draft and not an official record of the AWE or MoD, emphasizing their commitment to working with veterans and addressing their concerns.