Phil Shiner's lies destroyed veterans' lives—now he faces the consequences
1 October 2024, 12:02
Phil Shiner is a man who destroyed so many veterans' lives and careers by accusing those (myself included) of murder, mutilation & mistreatment.
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The allegations were made after an intense, bloody battle known as the Battle of Danny Boy. In short, we were ambushed by dug in militia forces. Outgunned and outnumbered, we left the safety of our armoured vehicle and conducted a counterattack on foot against a heavily defended trench position.
The battle ended with 28 milita fighters killed in action and nine taken as prisoners of war. No British casualties were taken that day. I was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry and bravery by the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth for my actions that day.
Five years later, The defunct public interest lawyer Shiner made allegations that the militia fighters were innocent farmers who were murdered and mistreated by British soldiers. Phil Shiner somehow had the support, and the Al Sweady public inquiry was launched.
If I’m honest, this was the toughest battle I’ve ever been in. We were under so much pressure and it was a brutal fight to clear our names from barbaric allegations. It’s hard enough dealing with the aftermath of war, but to try and deal with lies and dishonesty was devastating.
I was prepared to die on the battlefield for my men and country. To then stand in the dock in a courtroom and get cross examined on my actions during and after the battle of Danny Boy was betrayal, in my opinion.
I can only speak for myself when I say that Phil Shiner will now have to deal with the consequences once he gets sentenced on the 2nd December.
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Brian Wood is a former Colour Sergeant in the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, author of The Sunday Times bestseller Double Crossed, and the subject of the film Danny Boy on Amazon Prime.
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