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Iraq soldier 'sickened' by amputation claim
A SCOTS soldier at the centre of a row over the quality of equipment supplied to British troops in Iraq last night demanded to know if his leg was amputated only because there was a lack of medical supplies.

Sergeant Albert Thomson said it "sickened" him to think this could be true and confirmed that his family have hired a lawyer to investigate the claims.

Thomson, from Whitburn in West Lothian, lost his leg after a fellow soldier in the Royal Highland Fusiliers accidentally fired a machine gun in March 2003. But MPs are now investigating claims by a whistle-blower that army doctors would not have removed his leg if they had had the appropriate surgical equipment.

The case comes only days after the widow of Sergeant Steven Roberts - a tank commander who was shot dead in Iraq days after being ordered to hand back body armour because of shortages - called for embattled Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon’s resignation over inadequate army supplies.

Thomson, 35, said: "I was just grateful to be alive after I lost my leg, but now I can’t believe this. It sickens me to think this could be true. I’m in complete shock. For the past few months I have just been trying to get on with day-to-day living." ...