How did weaponry end up in Danny Nightingale’s house?

This morning in court we heard from soldier Y, an SAS adjutant, who knew Sgt Danny Nightingale well. He agreed that the SAS deployed in groups of 30-40 men to three locations in Iraq. Defence counsel William Clegg was about to ask where these locations were, when the colonel appearing for the prosecution  at the court martial intervened, citing security grounds.

The sound was then turned off in the adjacent room where media and relatives of Sgt Nightingale watch proceedings, in order to preserve the identities of the 16 SAS officers called by the prosecution.

When the sound returned the adjutant, soldier Y, told the court that the regiment was deployed in Iraq “in 2001”. A startling revelation since the invasion of the country by western coalition forces did not take place until 2003.

Cross-examined earlier by prosecution counsel Timothy Cray, he was asked if there was any scope for any kind of “blind-eye” policy for holding unauthorised weapons and ammunition in the SAS.

“None whatsoever,” he replied.

Asked what the significance would be of finding weapons and ammunition, as both sides agree were found in Sgt Nightingale’s house, soldier Y said: “It would be a gross breach of standing orders, bearing in mind the quantity of ammunition allegedly found at that address.”

The case continues.

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