MoD to review marine's death

Christopher Maddison served with the 9 Assault Squadron Marines

The Ministry of Defence is to review its investigation into the death of a Royal Marine in southern Iraq.

Officials had ruled out so-called "friendly fire" as a possible cause of Christopher Maddison's death.

But that finding has been called into question by a BBC documentary.

Marine Corporal Maddison, 24, died on March 30 after his landing craft came under attack while patrolling the al-Faw peninsula.

An inquiry by the Army's Special Investigation Branch concluded that the incident, which involved an anti-tank missile, had been caused by enemy action.

But a BBC documentary team embedded with the squadron during the war challenged this conclusion, saying that the MoD should not have ruled out the possibility of so-called "friendly fire".

He did his job and served his country Julie Maddison Mother

It said that at the time of the incident, the landing craft had been well within range of another group of Royal Marines, equipped with Milan anti-tank missiles.

After the documentary was aired, as part of the series Fighting The War, the case was reopened.

A senior navy official described the review as routine and said that apart from the documentary, no fresh evidence had so far come to light.

He said Marine Maddison's landing craft was now back in the UK undergoing forensic examination.

Mother Julie Maddison, from Scarborough, told BBC North Yorkshire: "Just because I have lost Christopher doesn't mean I am bitter in any way.

"He did his job and served his country."