SHILO, Man. -- A prosecutor has told a court martial in Manitoba that evidence will show a warrant officer showed "wanton and reckless disregard" for the safety of his colleagues during training in Afghanistan.
Paul Ravensdale, who is now retired, is accused of manslaughter, unlawfully causing bodily harm, two counts of breach of duty and two counts of negligence.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges that stem from a training accident in February 2010 that killed Cpl. Josh Baker and seriously injured four other soldiers.
Prosecutor Maj. Tony Tamburro pointed out that Ravensdale was in charge of the range the day of the accident.
Tamburro also said the warrant office gave the order to fire an anti-personnel mine while soldiers were nearby and exposed.
"He gave the order to fire those C-19s while his troops were in the danger zone and not under cover," Tamburro said.
"This was no mere accident. What the prosecution is saying is that (what happened) was entirely foreseeable and entirely preventable."
The anti-personnel mine was loaded with steel balls. Something went wrong on the day in question,and many of the balls shot backward, piercing the bodies of the soldiers.
Tamburro said a video of that day will show that soldiers were walking around in the weapon's direct line of sight.
Two other officers have been convicted in the accident.
Maj. Darryl Watts is awaiting sentencing on charges of negligence and unlawfully causing bodily harm.
Maj. Christopher Lunney was demoted to captain and given a severe reprimand after pleading guilty to negligent performance of duty.
Ravensdale's court martial is expected to last three weeks.
