Jailed soldier 'failed by army'

L/Cpl James Piotrowski was described as a danger to the public

The father of a soldier who has been jailed for handling a stolen rifle said he should have got better support after returning from duty in the Middle East.

Mark Piotrowski, of Shropshire, said his son was suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq.

L/Cpl James Piotrowski, of Birmingham, was jailed for seven years four months after going absent with the SA80 rifle.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that all soldiers returning from duty in Iraq are given "full support".

'Dangerous offender'

But Mr Piotrowski, of Market Drayton, said: "The MoD, well the court-martial, sentences these guys to 'x' number of years in a civilian jail and their hands are washed of the problem.

"It is no longer the MoD's problem. It is a cheap and effective way of shutting people up and getting them out the door."

At the court-martial in Colchester, Piotrowski also admitted one charge of head-butting a military police officer.

Sentencing him, the panel described him as a dangerous offender saying they would have given him an indeterminate sentence to protect the public if they had the power.

The soldier was at the centre of a manhunt in Birmingham when he went missing from his barracks in November 2004.

L/Cpl Piotrowski served for three months in Iraq with the Irish Guards.