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Soldier's mother accepts PM apology
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The mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan who confronted Gordon Brown over his letter of condolence has accepted the Prime Minister's apology.
Mr Brown rang Jacqui Janes after being told of her distress over errors in his hand-written letter of condolence to her.
Mrs Janes, who confronted Mr Brown over the lack of equipment for British troops during the phone call, said she was now satisfied with his apology.
"Yes, I am. Because he didn't sound apologetic in the phone call, he didn't actually apologise," she said. "He said sorry an awful lot, sorry that I didn't understand his writing. Today he looked sincere.
"He looked humbled and he is now going to get a record of my son's death, the day's events. And I hope that he has the sleepless nights that I've had for the past five weeks."
Mr Brown was said to have been "mortified" when told of Mrs Janes's distress over errors in his hand-written letter to her. But Mrs Janes confronted Mr Brown in the 13-minute phone call, telling him that her son Jamie could have survived his injuries but bled to death.
"Mr Brown, listen to me," she said. "I know every injury my child sustained that day. I know that my son could have survived but my son bled to death.
"How would you like it if one of your children, God forbid, went to a war doing something that he thought, where he was helping protect his Queen and country and because of lack, lack of helicopters, lack of equipment, your child bled to death and then you had the coroner have to tell you his every injury?"
Mr Brown said he understood, but had his own strong feelings on the issue and wanted to offer his condolences rather than interact in a political debate. At one point in the conversation, Mrs Janes said: "I cannot believe I have been brought down to the level of having an argument with the Prime Minister of my own country."
Mr Brown denied spelling Mrs Janes's son's name wrong in the letter and blamed his poor handwriting rather than his spelling. But she told him: "I beg to differ."
