High Heels
 

Running in high heels may cost RAF £200,000. .By Michael Evans, Defence Editor. . . . . . . .A WOMAN RAF officer won a six-year legal battle with the Ministry of Defence yesterday after suffering a serious ankle injury when ordered to run in high heels while carrying a heavy kitbag. . .The career of Flight Lieutenant Deborah Burns, 28, was ruined on only the second day of her initial training course at RAF Cranwell in August 1996. . .. .Required to dress smartly in civilian clothes for the “swearing of allegiance” parade, she was wearing high-heeled court shoes when she was told to pick up 80lb of kit and carry it to her accommodation block. As she struggled with the bag across the parade ground, she was ordered to run because she and the other cadets were behind schedule. . .. .In her civil case against the MoD at Preston Crown Court, she said that she went over on her high heels and fell heavily, rupturing her Achilles tendon. She remained in the RAF, but has been deskbound because of her injuries and is due to leave the service in August, having been refused a permanent commission. . .. .The amount of compensation has yet to be evaluated, but Flight Lieutenant Burns could be awarded £100,000 to £200,000 because her official reports assessed that she had the prospects of rising to the rank of Wing Commander. . .. .A spokesman for the MoD said that it was disappointed with the result. But Paul Burns, the officer’s father, said that the RAF had “just disposed of” his daughter. “As the judge said in the case, people are no longer expendable.” . .. .Flight Lieutenant Burns, who now works in supplies administration at RAF Strike Command in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, said: “I am absolutely delighted with the outcome. My ankle is still in a terrible state.” . .. .In court RAF lawyers rejected her claim that she had been ordered to run and said that her injury was not as serious as she made out. The Recorder Graham Wood said that Flight Lieutenant Burns was an “honest witness” and concluded that she had been told to “make haste” while wearing inappropriate footwear. . .. .Mr Burns said that his daughter had won back her integrity and intended to do a law degree at university. “Because of some ridiculous order to run in high heels with full kit she has lost years of her life. Now they have been found completely liable for her injury, and we are happy that justice has been done. It is regrettable that we could not find that sense of justice within the RAF’s official board of inquiry and that we were driven to seek it elsewhere.” . .. .A spokesman for the RAF said: “Changes have been introduced in recent years to improve the quality and consistency of the training, with added emphasis on health and safety areas.”

It really is a sad state of affairs that people constantly have to make someone else accountable. Surely this female officer cadet should have had the common sense to not run in high heels in the first place. Why did she not point she was in high heels or (if she was so deperate to prove herself on day 1) take her high heels off and run barefoot to her destination. This deperate urge to sue the MoD for huge amounts of damages is affecting our once famous gritty fighting ability. We are slowly bowing to the rules of the civvies and, in the process, becoming quite soft. I am not aware of many people who are of real promotability being turned down for a PC.....is this just a case of gold digging??

Extra bit from the Daily Telegraph:. .She had given up a promising career as a trainee bank manager and ended a relationship with her fiance in order to join the RAF. She has since married a 41-year-old RAF wing commander.

...glad I'll never have to work alongside her. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />

Was the injury sufficient to prevent her completing IOT or has the person in question survived an entire SSC and reached the rank of Flt Lt without any officer training??. .. .I also wonder if she as ever told any of her subordinates to 'hurry up' or 'get a move on'

SATCOs WB,. .. .In answer to your question.... .. .Probably more than once, as she sits in her Supply Wing chair, dwelling on what a great leader she is, a supposed leader of men and women, spurred on by her husband who ought to know better, destined to reach Wing Commander rank ( but then the OJAR should address this problem of stating one's eventual rank)...but the real criminals (!) will be the lawyers who put her up to it and advised that she could make a substantial amount of money out of this trainnig mishap.. .. .Let's face it, all of us that have been through this sort of training regime could see how it could happen, and how that most of us with pride, loyalty, a spine etc would get on and serve. . .. .As my last post said, I'm only glad I will never serve with.... . . . <small>[ 29 March 2002, 23:21: Message edited by: gijoe ]</small>

Was at IOT around that time . . . .. .. .LMF . Lots of it going around.. .. .People on MASH who couldn`t run / do PT etc but could dance the night away in Ritzy !. .. .Don`t get me wrong . Lots of genuine cases too . Lots not . They all know what side they were on . . . .. .

I once had the great misfortune to be serving at the same RAF Station (but not the same unit) as this person when she was undergoing her initial specialist training (scribbling). Fortunately I only met her once but it was enough to convince me that she should not have been in the RAF at all, never mind being a commissioned officer. I also seem to remember that her father seemed to have a lot to do with all the faff that seemed to surround her. Having just seen a programme called the Trench on BBC2 just now, I find it hard to believe that such people as her should complain about anything. All this does is make more bad feeling when we do not need it!

GIJOE. .. .Well said me old.. .. .As for the lawyers being the ones that put her up to it. It would not surprise me in the least if it turns out that 'daddy' is a lawyer and that had some influence on the case from the start.. .. .WORK HARD, PLAY HARD AND GET C**K ALL <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="mad.gif" /> . .C**K UP, BLAME SOMEONE ELSE AND GET £200k <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> . .. .I wonder what I could get if I sued over having to swim the River Dart, in January, for no apparent reason............Now there's a thought <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" />

Right - totally livid now. I have personal experience of this loser - she was at our Unit to recover & gain more exposure to the RAF - she was under the Physio & the doc, yet the stupid silly girl continued to play squash on a regular basis. I cannot believe through her own perpetuation of an unfortunate injury, she is set to gain a huge pot of cash. Friends were there at the time of the accident - girls are advised to wear low-heeled court shoes, not high heels - she was teetering. Also behind time & had to hurry because her excrement was not in 1 personal hoeisery (sp?) item. I know we got a lot of crud at IOT, but did it ever weigh up to 80 lbs??? She arrived at the said holding unit and had removed her white hatband and was wearing Fg Off slides - as a holding CADET. Says more than words that did. SOMEBODY SEDATE ME BEFORE I HUNT HER DOWN!!! AAaarrrghhhhhh!!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="mad.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="mad.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="mad.gif" />

SATCO's WB, . .. .If you do your time, get paid to have a (generally) good time in interesting places, do your 16/22 (as applicable), you'll be able to hold your head up high and say you did it well...she won't!. .. .Superstacker - did your 'statement of fact' about playing squash whilst undergoing treatment come out during the said proceedings ? Was this against medical advice ? What other physical activities did she undertake whilst possibly not supposed to ? Did she go on any expeditions whilst holding with you ? . .. .See my point ? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />

This just makes my blood boil....

I see no need to discuss this "Officer"'s stupidity, high heels etc. But to sue the MOD for what sounds like pretty trivial injury that was a consequence of one's own actions.....what the hells going on

The lawyers should be rounded up by the Rockapes, Snowcaps or MOD Plod and SHOT.

I despair that anyone with that sort of mentality is able to get into the Armed Forces at all, let alone as an Officer.

As somebody who failed the selection to be an Officer (Navy in my case, and no, not as aircrew) I feel extremely angry that persons like that get through, but I didn'tGRRRRRRRRR!!!

WE,. .. .Don't you believe it ! I am slightly ( no,more than slightly ) concerned that this 'trickle' of claims will turn into a torrent over the next few years. The selection system let HM the Queen down in granting said person a commission.. .. .Why am I concerned ? Well, it will be me stepping into the breech as an OC in the next couple of years and, at the moment, I am not convinced that the system ( ie the MOD) is behind me. Worrying ? Yes. . .. .How do you calculate the risks of attacking a cave in Afghanistan where the enemy has been digging for the last 20 years when you are worried that one of your 'colleagues-in-arms' might sue you for a decision that didn't quite work out as you expected? . .. .An exaggeration? Most definitely...but the seeds of doubt are there. . .. .Anyway, why didn't she just take her high heels off and step on it across the Parade Square in her tights/stockings? That would have shown some gumption, a bit of initiative...and got her there on time! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="tongue.gif" />

GIJOE

I share your concerns. I will be joining in May, though not with a commision......yet...

I to have suffered from poor decisions I made, things I neglected to do etc. Am I going to sue the MOD? No, of course not. I could make a case that I failed the AIB because they made me do leadership tasks and I underestimated my lack of leadership. But hey.....thats life. I should have done more things to prepare in the years before.

Have a rant, figure out how to either solve the problem or at least get SOMETHING out of it, then get on with it.

It does not surprise me that she was out playing squash while trying to claim she was injured (LMF springs to mind). Since not less than 7 months after the parade square fall she was in France skiing at Her Majesty's (Taxpayers) expense. Looks like she has cost the taxpayer a bit more now!

Well, having been away for a few days, I was none-the-less very interested to see what the ppruners would have thought about this tale on my return from the hot place.

I had the fortune to learn several things about this case as I was at Cranwell at the time. Her father is (so I was told) an ex WO and indeed is much the driving force behind her claim.

one of the issues which was seriously questioned at the time was how on earth the RAF could justify "graduating" her from IOT

I don't know how on earth that post was submitted in mid-write, so I will just continue...(blo%%y new software)

Anyway, as I said we were very concerned at Cranwell about the fact that she was going to be turned out onto the RAF without any formal training.

One paricular concern was that she would, presumably, be writing the reports of airman her junior. What if one of these airman wished to complain about her recommendation or her narrative? Where would the RAF stand in admitting that it had placed her in this position of authority and rank without any formal training? This would open up a can of worms which would have negative impact on many aspects of the Service.

In addition, I understand that she behaved excrutiatingly embarrasingly at her first dining-in-night. A birthday toast to her then boyfriend arranged with the bandmaster before the loyal toast. (of course he was the PMC at the time)

How can the RAF now justify suspending anyone from IOT when she has proved that the entire process could be adjudged to be unecessary? Surely there are lots of chopped ex-cadets out there who are now in a position to sue too?

The whole debacle is an embarrasment to my Service and I could complain about many aspects of it all day.

The thing that rankles me most (and I know lots of others too) is that the law now appears to have no common sense. How on earth can a magistrate or judge not look at this on its lack of merit and dismiss it? The idea of an award for her makes me sick to my stomach.

For God's sake someone please appeal and get this ridiculous judgement overturned. Surely, somewhere up the line common sense will prevail. I fear that if the RAF does not fight it tooth and nail, then every other loser out there will take it as an invitation to sue too.

Like may others before me, I shall stop now before I explode in a rage......

Having absolutely no knowledge of this situation myself, are you really saying that:

1. The initial injury was probably caused by the cadet's failure to wear the correct footwear as instructed.

2. The cadet was witnessed participating in physical sporting activities despite this injury.

3. The cadet did not complete Initial Officer Training yet was awarded the Queen's Commission.

4. The cadet was witnessed wearing rank insignia to which she was not entitled.

5. The officer acted in a manner contrary to the traditions of the Service at a Dining-In Night.

6. The officer has since been promoted to the rank of Flt Lt.

Or is this just some April Fools' Day spoof?? Please tell me that it is and you're just having us on................

Many of my fellow recent graduees have said they felt their commission to less of an acheivement because of the calibre of some of those also on the Orange that day. Perhaps a little less tolerance of fools is required at IOT.

BEagle,

Your post alludes to exactly what I was trying to get out of PPruners who know/knew this fine upstanding lady.

Why was the fact that she played squash, went skiing etc not brought out during the legal events ? Her injury obvioulsy hampered her sporting career...

We must remember that HM Forces does not always employ the best legal personnel in the world ( they are all in London doing other things) whereas the other party has free choice to hire whoever they wish !! (...and , yes, I do have experience on both side of the fence) :D

If her father put her up to it then my doubts about 55 year old WOs will be confirmed once again. Despite not wanting to get into the inter service age regulations debate once again, they always appear to be more trouble than good. Turned down for commissioning maybe, chip on shoulder perhaps ?? Who knows...

Anyway, standby for the next big payouts by MOD plc for the young lady officers who wear green...and end uphaving relationships with guys that perhaps they shouldn't. That's going to be another cracker that the MOD coughs up for...

:cool: