The BBC has discovered that the British military destroyed the records of investigations into personnel who dismissed because they were gay.
Records of accusations and interrogations that took place prior to the regulations being changed in 2000, were disposed of in 2010. The Ministry of Defence told the BBC that they had a legal obligation to destroy the files.
The destruction of the records only became known when two ex-service personnel who had been dismissed because of their sexuality requested copies of their investigations.
In January the UK government announced an inquiry looking into the effect the former ban on gay service personnel had on people that the discriminatory rules affected.
Campaign group Fighting with Pride said, without the information, it could be difficult for its members to reclaim lost pensions or compensation from the government. They estimate that between 5,000 and 15,000 men and women may had been affected by the policy between 1967 and 2000.
A spokesperson for the group has called on the Ministry of Defence to provide more information on the decision, saying the news would erode the remaining trust people had in the government department.
In February the government announced that gay service personnel who had been dismissed because of their sexuality would be able to claim back their medals which would have been confiscated at the time of their discharge.
OIP Staff
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