Ghanaian Ex Soldier Who Sued The UK Ministry Of Defence For £1.5Million Over An Injury, Ordered To Pay Back £70,000 After Getting Caught On Film

Former lance corporal Michael Mantey, 39, suffered a trench foot injury while in bitterly cold eastern Europe with the Royal Engineers in late 2017.

The MoD said that, although the soldier had suffered trench foot, it had got better and he had been ‘deliberately malingering’ to claim a massive payout.

In his claim, Mr Mantey said he suffered his non-freezing cold injury (NCFI) when he had to sleep without a tent in bitterly cold Estonia while on Operation Cabrit in 2017.

As part of his claim, Mr Mantey said he had incurred ‘additional heating costs’ through having to keep his house warmer than he would otherwise have done, and had to ‘purchase warmer clothing.’

But having launched his claim, Mr Mantey ‘discontinued’ after he was secretly filmed and shown to be able to walk normally, MoD barrister Andrew Ward said during the trial last month.

Mr Ward said the footage revealed Mr Mantey walking without a stick on the morning and evening, and having changed into open-toed sandals and no socks by the end of the day.

Mr Ward said the video surveillance footage showed that Mr Mantey could indeed get around without a stick, despite his claims of permanent disability.