Damages for Worker Shot by Firearms Training Officer

A police civilian worker who was shot during a firearms safety demonstration has won a six-figure sum in compensation.

Keith Tilbury, 56, a 999 control room operator at the Thames Valley Police Headquarters in Oxfordshire, was attending a demonstration by a police firearms training officer. The officer loaded a .44 Magnum revolver with what he thought was an inert round from ammunition kept in a ‘Quality Street’ tin, pointed the gun at Mr Tilbury and fired.

The ammunition was live and Mr Tilbury suffered life-threatening injuries. The bullet passed right through his abdomen and the chair he was sitting on. At the John Radcliffe Hospital, Mr Tilbury received intensive treatment to counter the internal damage and stem the massive blood loss. He was unconscious for two weeks and underwent a series of operations.

After the accident, Mr Tilbury suffered psychological trauma which left him unable to return to work.

When the accident was investigated, the Independent Police Complaints Commission concluded that it was ‘astonishing’ that procedures were not in place to prevent this type of accident occurring.

Thames Valley Police admitted liability for the accident and agreed to pay Mr Tilbury a six-figure sum in compensation.

Following the incident, Thames Valley Police was also fined £40,000, after admitting breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and ordered to pay costs of £25,000. The firearms officer who shot Mr Tilbury was fined £8,000 plus £8,000 in costs.