A Scottish MP has told a parliamentary probe into veteran suicides how he lost one of his best friends in Afghanistan.
Ex-Royal Regiment of Scotland reservist Paul Sweeney revealed his heartache over the death of Bobby Hetherington, 25, who was killed by a roadside bomb in 2013.
The Labour MP told a debate at Westminster the more than 100,000 people who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan “suffered terribly as a result of the loss of their friends”.
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He added: “I’m thinking of some of my friends I have lost in Afghanistan and I recognise the impact that can have.
“We lost four Jocks from the Royal Regiment of Scotland in July and August last year, which was a terrible spate of suicides.
“More than 70 veterans have taken their lives in the last year. More than one third who took their lives in 2018 had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Glasgow North East MP Sweeney, 30, has previously slammed the Government’s reliance on charities to support veterans.
