Lieutenant Woodhouse died whilst serving on board HMS Ocean and is entitled to the full protections and rights accorded to him under the European Convention.
The circumstances of his death are still unclear and require an investigation into whether the United Kingdom was/is in breach of its Article 2 obligations.
Foul play is yet to be ruled out in a full independent investigation and the mere fact that the Ship’s Investigation Report recommended changes to HMS Ocean’s safety procedures suggests that the regime at the time was not fit for purpose in protecting the lives of servicemen working on board.
This tragic incident should not be repeated and lessons need to be learned where necessary to prevent it happening again.
Only a full “Middleton” inquiry will meet the requirements of this case.