Inquest Into Death of Three Army Reservists in Wales Begins

An inquest into the deaths of three army reservists will begin on Monday June 1. Llandudno man Craig John Roberts, 24, Edward John Maher and  James Dunsby, both 31, collapsed during an army training exercise. On July 13, 2013 on one of the hottest days of the year, as temperatures reached 29.5C (84F), emergency crews were called to Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons in Powys, Mid Wales when six soldiers had collapsed suffering heat exhaustion. Witnesses said they had seen soldiers looking exhausted and pleading for water during the gruelling exercise.

The inquest had originally been due to take place at the end of last year. However, it was delayed for eight months so that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) could review its decision not to bring criminal charges of gross negligence manslaughter over the deaths. The CPS has since confirmed its original decision not to prosecute. A separate investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and police is continuing. The inquest is expected to last four weeks. Serious questions remain to be answered about events during that day.