Mother takes on the MoD over £152,000 'insult' to son maimed in Afghanistan

The mother of a paratrooper who lost both legs and suffered 37 injuries in Afghanistan when a landmine exploded last September is threatening to take the government to court over the amount of compensation awarded to her son.

Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 23, who will need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life, is to be awarded £152,150 in compensation, a sum which his mother, Diane Dernie, has described as an "insult". The award is slightly more than half the maximum £285,000 that can be given to an injured soldier. A member of the 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, Lance Bombardier Parkinson also suffered a brain injury, fractures to his skull, cheekbone, nose, jaw and pelvis, fractured vertebrae, and serious damage to his spleen and chest.

Lawyers acting for Mrs Dernie said the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, introduced in 2005 to fast track claims by military personnel, awards maximum payment only to those who have lost all limbs. Under the scheme Lance Bombardier Parkinson would be compensated only for the three most serious injuries - to his legs, brain and arm - and the other 34 wounds would not count.