Victim Hit By Boat While Swimming

The death of an RAF serviceman in a speedboat crash at the Cyprus Sovereign Base Area will raise questions over the safety measures currently in place, a leading lawyer at Irwin Mitchell has claimed.

Andrew Buckham, who specialises in military accident cases, commented after reports revealed that airman Scott Hughes, 20, from 1 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment died on Sunday after being hit by the boat while swimming.

The victim, from Felinheli, Gwynedd, was on a stop-over having completed an operational tour in Afghanistan and was due to return home.

Armed Forces Legal expert Andrew Buckham said: “While very few details have yet emerged in relation to the accident, there will undoubtedly be major questions asked about how the boat and victim came to be in such close proximity to each other.

“What makes this is incident particularly tragic is that Mr Hughes was on his way home having completed a tour of Afghanistan and, one could argue, should have been safe from harm on his stop-over in Cyprus.

“I hope that the investigation into this accident is completed both swiftly and thoroughly, particularly as the family of the victim will no doubt want answers as to what happened.”