A BRITISH ARMY captain has been found guilty of manslaughter after an Irish-born soldier was killed during a live fire training exercise.
Ranger Michael Maguire, 21, of Co. Cork died in 2012 after being struck in the forehead by a stray machine gun bullet at Castlemartin Training Area in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Captain Jonathan Price, 32, was today convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence following a seven-week court martial in Wiltshire.
Two other officers, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bell, 45, and Warrant Officer Stuart Pankhurst, 40, were convicted of negligently performing a duty.
Rgr Maguire, of the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, was one of several soldiers who came under machine gun fire.
Soldiers on one part of the range were firing directly at those in another part who, at about one kilometre away, would have been visible.
Rgr Maguire died after being struck by a stray bullet from a GPMG machine gun.
Capt Price was accused of failing to set up and supervise a secure training exercise, having failed to attend a recce of the range and set targets too close together.
Col Bell and WO Pankhurst were involved in planning and supervising the training exercise.
Rgr Maguire has joined the Royal Irish regiment in 2010 and had done one tour of duty in Afghanistan.
The fatal training exercise was in preparation for deployment to Kenya.
The three officers – who the court martial earlier heard “had a total disregard for the safety” of their men – are expected to be sentenced on July 24.
