Army sergeant shot dead by short-sighted soldier who should have been wearing lenses
A SHORT-sighted soldier who should have been wearing lenses shot an Army sergeant dead during a night exercise, a military inquiry has found.
He mistook Welsh Guard Gavin Hillier, 35, for a wooden training target on firing ranges last year.
Sgt Hillier was wearing a yellow fluorescent jacket and body armour when he was killed instantly by a 5.56mm round.
A Service Inquiry report said the unidentified soldier had previously been refused entry to the Welsh Guards due to poor sight, but was later let in using lenses.
But his commanding officers were not allowed to know this due to Army medical record privacy rules.
His eyesight was so bad without lenses that he would need to be six times closer to a target.
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The report said the soldier was “confident they didn’t need glasses and so lenses were not being worn”.
Police are investigating.
Married dad of two Sgt Hillier served for almost 20 years before his death in Pembrokeshire in March 2021.
He served in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.