Press officer settles MoD stress case

John Salisbury-Baker, 63, from York, was pursuing a claim for

disability discrimination.

Details of the settlement, which was reached in March and confirmed yesterday will not be disclosed under a confidentiality agreement.

Mr Salisbury-Baker started work for the MoD in 1996 as an information officer and became defence press officer at the Imphal Barracks, in York, about four years later.

His job involved telling the media that Army vehicles, such as Snatch Land Rovers, were adequately equipped to withstand roadside bombs.

He also supported the families of soldiers who had been killed, and was said to be haunted by the thought they may have previously thought their loved ones were safe because of what he himself had said to the media about the safety of military equipment.

In 2007, he was diagnosed with stress-related angina after suffering anxiety, discomfort in his chest and sleepless nights, and was off work sick for 12 months. He returned to work briefly but was subsequently told he had post-traumatic stress disorder.

A MoD spokesman said both parties had agreed to keep the settlement terms confidential.