VC hero 'shot by own side'.

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

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

His widow Lorena, 23, a clerk with the Royal Artillery, has been told that his death may have been caused by "friendly fire", a national newspaper reported.

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 said: "Given the dynamics of close-quarter combat that we experienced in Afghanistan, there is always the possibility of casualties caused by friendly fire.

"However, this does not in any way detract from the utmost valour of Cpl Budd's actions."

An investigation of the circumstances of Cpl Budd's death has revealed the possibility of friendly fire, the paper said. An examination of his body revealed that the ammunition used to shoot him was of the same calibre employed by British forces.

According to the paper, the only other possibility is that Taliban fighters got hold of British weapons on the black market or stole them.

Cpl Budd, who lived in Ripon and has family in Whitby, left two daughters, two-year-old Isabelle and Imogen, who was born shortly after her father's death.

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Publication:	Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough, England)
Date:	Feb 16, 2007
Words:	254
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Topics:	Soldiers