Soldier with shrapnel in his heart who could die any moment given 'insulting' £1,400 payout

A hero soldier left with shrapnel in his heart from a Taleban grenade which could kill him at any time has been given an insurance payout of just £1,400.

Private Simon Peacock was originally offered a meagre £226 compensation for the timebomb injuries which will plague him for the rest of his life.

The 22-year-old nearly died after he was showered with shards from the rocket propelled grenade as he defended his comrades in war-torn Helmand Province in Afghanistan last year.

The shrapnel lodged in his knee, hand, as well as his heart and lungs where it remains after doctors said it was too risky to remove it.

Private Peacock, of the Royal Angian Regiment, slammed the payout as "insulting" and said if he had lost a limb he would have received 100 times as much money.

He said: "I think it's insulting. Apparently my injuries don't fall into the right category for a decent payout, so all I've got is £1,000 for shrapnel wounds and £400 for my time in hospital.

"I even had to fight for that. Originally they offered me £226 and I had to get the commanding officer of the Army rehabilitation centre to sign a note on my behalf to get it increased.

"If I had lost a leg I would have been given more than £100,000 yet I have to live with the fact I could die at any time if the shrapnel ever moves from my heart."

The attack happened last year when the soldier, from South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, was defending other soldiers trying to take a Taleban-held compound in Kajaki.

His close friend Private Matthew Woollard from Southend, Essex, received £104,000 from the same insurance company Abacus, after his leg was blown off by a landmine in May last year.

Abacus is a recommended firm for soldiers who take out injury insurance when they sign up to the army.

But Private Peacock, who joined the army in 2005 at 19, is outraged at how little his sacrifice is worth.

He said: "I am still paying them £28.23 a month because I'm scared if I stop there will be no chance of appealing against the payout.

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"My regiment knows all about my case and the army will hopefully try to get me more money but they have so many cases to deal with I don't know when it is going to happen. It is all very disappointing."

The squaddie's parents Norman, 56, and Rita, 60, were told their son was fighting for his life after being hit by the grenade on May 4 last year.

He was taken to Camp Bastion and flown in a jet to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. En route on the 12-and-a-half hour flight, doctors carried out an emergency operation to remove shrapnel from his calf, in order to save his right foot.

On arrival, the wounded soldier was taken into intensive care, where he remained for five days as his worried parents kept a vigil at his bedside.

He had tubes inserted in his heart and lungs to monitor them and was in such pain he had to be strapped to the bed and dosed up with morphone and ketamine.

Private Peacock was then transferred to the military wing of the hospital - Selly Oak - where he was treated for two-and-a-half weeks.

He said: "The shrapnel had to be left in my heart and lungs. My heart is still beating but I have to go for check ups all the time.

"They said it would be more dangerous to remove them. They said it would be like slicing through bacon."

Despite the severity of his injuries, Private Peacock has made a good recovery, and is able to walk around. But his injuries mean he will never be able to return to active service and may have to leave the army.

He is still negotiating a separate compensation settlement with the Ministry of Defence.

Paul Leat, spokesman for the MoD, said: "The MoD provides compensation for injuries linked to service through the Armed Forces Compensation Sceheme, which provides lump sum payments and regular payments for life for the more seriously injured.

"Commercial personal accident and Life cover is voluntary and is additional to the benefits provided by the MoD."

Abacus was unavailable for comment.