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25/04/2003
Bodies of 'executed' soldiers return home
The bodies of the two soldiers whom Prime Minister Tony Blair claimed had been "executed" by Iraqi forces, have been returned to Britain today.
The bodies of Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth, 36, of the 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), and Sapper Luke Allsopp, 24, from the same unit, were flown into RAF Brize-Norton this morning.
According to the MoD, the pair were reported missing, later confirmed as killed, after an attack on British military vehicles in southern Iraq on March 23. Their bodies were later recovered from a shallow grave in Al Zubayr, near Basra.
Mr Blair, in a joint press conference with the US president at Camp David on March 28, said the soldiers had been "executed" in an "act of cruelty beyond comprehension".
However, Sapper Allsopp's family reacted angrily to the suggestion, saying that they had been reassured by a colonel from the regiment that their son had died in combat.
Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram later apologised for the hurt that had been caused to the families.
He said: "It may not have been well handled, I issued a regret at the language used.
"But it was not intended to cause hurt".
Staff Sergeant Cullingworth came from Essex and was married with two sons. Sapper Allsopp was single and came from North London.
(GMcG)
The bodies of Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth, 36, of the 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), and Sapper Luke Allsopp, 24, from the same unit, were flown into RAF Brize-Norton this morning.
According to the MoD, the pair were reported missing, later confirmed as killed, after an attack on British military vehicles in southern Iraq on March 23. Their bodies were later recovered from a shallow grave in Al Zubayr, near Basra.
Mr Blair, in a joint press conference with the US president at Camp David on March 28, said the soldiers had been "executed" in an "act of cruelty beyond comprehension".
However, Sapper Allsopp's family reacted angrily to the suggestion, saying that they had been reassured by a colonel from the regiment that their son had died in combat.
Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram later apologised for the hurt that had been caused to the families.
He said: "It may not have been well handled, I issued a regret at the language used.
"But it was not intended to cause hurt".
Staff Sergeant Cullingworth came from Essex and was married with two sons. Sapper Allsopp was single and came from North London.
(GMcG)
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