[Marcus Marulus]

Scottish military base may become part of England

NICK JURY

THE move to speed up inquests into the death of service personnel overseas could result in a Scottish military base being designated as part of England.

It is understood that Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, is examining measures which would allow inquests to be held north of the Border.

Under current law, all military deaths abroad must be examined by an English coroner. The new proposal would give English jurisdiction over a small part of a Scottish site - such as RAF Kinloss.

It is hoped the planned move would reduce lengthy waiting times for inquests and remove the burden of families having to travel south of the Border to hear how their relatives died.

The inquest into the death of Fusilier Gordon Gentle, 19, from Glasgow, opened earlier this week in Oxford. The hearing finally got under way three years after the soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Although the proposal has privately caused raised eyebrows amongst some SNP politicians, senior MSPs believe that the feelings of bereaved relatives must take priority.

Keith Brown, a former Royal Marine who served in the Falklands is now the SNP MSP for Ochil.

He told BBC Scotland it was "extremely important" for inquests to be held north of the Border.

Mr Brown added: "If you are a family from Scotland and you have had somebody killed overseas, you have to first of all travel down to England in order to attend the inquest and also you have to suffer the long delay after the death has occurred - that can't be right."

However, he described the prospect of English law having jurisdiction over a small part of Scotland as "odd".

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