The Burton Mail has delivered a 3,500-name petition to defence secretary Geoff Hoon calling for a posthumous bravery medal for a soldier killed in Iraq.

Picture editor Neil Barker travelled to London with South Derbyshire MP Mark Todd and Mike Aston, the father of Corporal Russell Aston.

The Government has so far refused to honour Cpl Aston and five colleagues who were killed during a riot at an Iraqi police station because it says there were no allied witnesses to the events.

This is despite the fact that an Iraqi policeman who was a British ally at the time witnessed the riot and confirmed that the group of soldiers refused to give up their post despite being outnumbered.

Mail editor Paul Hazeldine said the paper was confident that the medal would be awarded now that the petition has been presented.

He said: "We've been campaigning for about five months and have been waiting to get an appointment with Geoff Hoon.

"He has said the Government will respond in due course. We won't rest until the medal has been awarded."

Back to the campaigns index

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail pastill@nep.co.uk