| http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/
MoD scientists may be prosecuted over secret medical tests By Kim Sengupta 25 August 2001 Ministry of Defence scientists who did medical experiments on servicemen at the Porton Down chemical and biological warfare centre may face criminal prosecution. A letter from a senior police officer to one alleged victim reportedly states that there is "strong corroborative evidence" that servicemen were "administered a noxious substance contrary to the Offences Against the Person Act". Detectives investigating the claims of deceit and poisoning for more than two years are close to submitting files to the Crown Prosecution Service. The servicemen claim volunteers were subjected to experiments with nerve gas and toxic chemicals and that the MoD covered up the abuse. In a letter to Gordon Bell, who had tests at Porton Down, Wiltshire, in 1959 and 1960, Detective Superintendent Gerry Luckett of Wiltshire Constabulary said: "On the face of the allegation you have made, it is apparent that a criminal offence of administering a noxious substance, contrary to section 24 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, has been committed." Wiltshire police are appealing for witnesses who saw appeals at British military bases in the 1950s and 1960s for volunteers to take part in the Common Cold Research Programme at Porton Down. Since 1916, more than 20,000 servicemen have been exposed to chemicals, including mustard gas, nerve agents, CS gas and LSD, at Porton Down, mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. Mr Bell, 63, a former airman from Sunderland, said yesterday: "They put us in gas chambers. Some of these tests are horrendous. I had no idea what they were doing – as far as I was concerned they were doing common cold research tests." He claims chemicals dripped on him led to the skin problems he now suffers from and that a fellow RAF man, Ronald Maddison, of Consett, Co Durham, died in May 1953 when a nerve agent was dripped on his arm. Mr Bell said: "I would like an independent public inquiry, but that has been turned down by the Government. I want to see the people responsible brought to account. It was parallel to the tests the Nazis carried out." |
