British war hero shot by comrades.

A British soldier posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in Afghanistan may have been shot dead by his own comrades, it was reported yesterday.

Father-of-two Corporal Bryan Budd, aged 29, of the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, was killed as he stormed a Taliban position single-handedly in Hel-mand, Afghanistan, trying to protect seven of his colleagues from heavy fire.

His widow Lorena, aged 23, a clerk with the Royal Artillery, is due to collect his posthumous VC from the Queen at Buckingham Palace next month.

She has been told that his death may have been caused by "friendly fire", according to reports yesterday.

A senior officer from 3 Para said if Cpl Budd's death had been due to a "blue on blue" it would in no way detract from the heroism of his actions.

Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Tootle, Commanding Officer of 3 Para, added: "Given the dynamics of close-quarter combat that we experienced in Afghanistan, there is always the possibility of friendly fire casualties."

An investigation of the circumstances surrounding Cpl Budd's death and an examination of his body allegedly shows the bullet that killed him was of the same calibre employed by British forces.