Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson MBE
The fight for justice for Britain's most injured soldier
Irwin Mitchell sought to secure equitable compensation for Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson MBE, a former British paratrooper. At the time, Ben was recognised as the most gravely injured soldier to have survived the Afghanistan war.
“In his handling of the Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson compensation case, David Standard gave a master class in how public relations should be conducted.”
Senior Producer
BBC
Case Detail
In 2006, while travelling in a Land Rover in Helmand province, Ben sustained severe injuries from an IED explosion.
A critical issue in Ben's case was the limitation of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), which only acknowledged three injuries for computing compensation necessary for the long-term care of injured service personnel.
The media-relations approach by David Standard included a strategic communications plan, working closely with Ben and his mother, Dianne, to amplify awareness of Ben's situation through media channels.
Despite the Ministry of Defence initially maintaining that the existing compensation scheme was sufficient, the concerted media campaign efforts and the looming threat of legal action eventually led to a significant policy shift.
The government relented, resulting in substantial changes to the AFCS, thus ensuring a more accurate representation of the needs of all injured service members.
Outcome
Government changed the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. Policy shift ensuring all injuries counted for compensation. National campaign achieved systemic reform.
This is one of six case studies from David Standard's PR Portfolio. These represent a small selection of the hundreds of cases managed over a 30-year career.