A CORONER has criticised the Army for "serious failures" following a firing range incident in which a Kent-based soldier died.

The hearing followed the death of Lance Corporal Andrew Craw, of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who shot himself as he tried to cock a new light machine gun.

It was claimed the 21-year-old soldier, who was based at Howe Barracks in Canterbury, had just three hours of sleep after arriving in Basra in Iraq before the training exercise began.

A sergeant in charge of the firing range was said to be "furious" at not having longer to train his men. He told the coroner the exercise should not have gone ahead.

It was thought that L Cpl Craw might have believed the gun was not loaded when he tried to kick it into the cock position. But the gun went off and the bullet passed through his hand into his head.

In his narrative verdict, the assistant deputy coroner for Oxfordshire, Andrew Walker, said: "It has been suggested that his death was the result of an unthinking moment on his part or a momentary lapse of concentration.

"I do not agree. There were serious failures in the planning for the Braema range."