Defence Secretary Tells Grieving Father 'You're Irritating Me'

London Mirror | August 19 2004

GEOFF Hoon told the grieving father of a murdered British soldier: "You're irritating me."

The gaffe-prone Defence Secretary was branded arrogant over the outburst by Reg Keys whose son Tom, 20, was one of six military police officers killed by a mob in Iraq.

Reg said the astonishing comment came during a heated meeting with bereaved families.

He claimed Mr Hoon told him: "I believe you're getting irritated and you're irritating me now."

The 52-year-old was angry at the lack of information given out by the Government and Army officials about how the six Red Caps died near Basra in June last year.

He said: "Mr Hoon wants to try having his son murdered. If that happened and he was met with walls of silence and subterfuge, then he would know about being irritated.

"He's no right to say it, he doesn't know the meaning of the word. You'd think he would have more respect."

Reg, of Bala, Gwynedd, called on Mr Hoon to resign over the war in Iraq.

He said: "My son went to battle thinking it was about weapons of mass destruction. He was deceived, I was deceived, we were all deceived.

"I want to know why he was let down in life, when he was lied to and sent into a town to die, and then let down in death.

"The final insult was when Mr Hoon told us the prosecution of his killers had been handed over to the central criminal court of Iraq, even though the British Army knows the their names and addresses.

"If it doesn't take the case then it will be dropped. What hope is there now of justice?"

Reg claimed Mr Hoon made his comment about being irritated at a meeting in April.

It was one of two the families and the Defence Secretary have had since the deaths of the soldiers. The Ministry of Defence declined to comment.

Three British soldiers have died in Iraq in the past 10 days. Reg said their families face "an uphill struggle" to learn the truth about the deaths.

Son Tom, a lance corporal, died with his colleagues when a 400-strong gang attacked them as they met with Iraqi officials in police station.