Pathologist's errors brought agony for serviceman's family

Donald Coutts-Wood said he would be reporting his concerns after serious problems emerged over documents related to the death of Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge.

SAC Bridge was killed on August 30, 2007, when the Land Rover he was travelling in hit an improvised explosive device while on patrol around Kandahar Airfield.

His body was repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire and taken to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

At an inquest in Sheffield yesterday, Mr Coutts-Wood said this was carried out by a Home Office registered pathologist, Dr Nicholas Hunt.

His report was included in evidence to be heard at an inquest last December but errors were found by SAC Bridge's mother Nicolette Williams, which cast doubt on the identity of the body.

Because Dr Hunt was ill and could not attend, Mr Coutts-Wood was forced to stop the inquest and ask for new reports to verify the body was SAC Bridge.

Eventually an independent report was commissioned, which uncovered a catalogue of discrepancies between notes from the original post-mortem examination and subsequent reports.

Mistakes included dates on some of Dr Hunt's reports, which appeared to have been written on August 25, 2007 – five days before SAC Bridge was killed in action with C flight, 51 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment.

Heights, weight, hair colour, eye colour and the presence of tattoos on the body were not consistent, with one report stating a weight of 98kg and another 68kg.

The inquest was told the investigation process took more than six

months, leaving SAC Bridge's mother, from the Shiregreen area of Sheffield, and the rest of her family in limbo.

Returning an official verdict that SAC Bridge was unlawfully killed while on active service, the coroner thanked Mrs Williams for her patience and added: "This delay was utterly wrong and I shall be making appropriate reports."