PRECIOUS MEDAL

Victory for war hero ás Scots Government steps in to replace stolen honours after MoD refuses

- MARCELLO MEGA

A WAR hero fought back tears as the Scottish Government stepped in to replace his stolen service medals after heartless MoD bosses refused.

Paul Houston was left heartbroken after his hard-earned medals - for service in the Gulf War and Northern Ireland were stolen 10 years ago when his home was burgled.

Since that time, the 57-year-old war hero has been pleading for the Ministry of Defence to cast new medals for him but they refused to cover the costs.

Now the Scottish Government has stepped in to pay for his new medals, which were presented to him earlier this week by local MSP and Justice Secretary Keith Brown, who fought for his country in 1982 in the Falklands War.

Brown also vowed to replace all lost or stolen medals for Scottish servicemen as part of a new deal for those who fought for their country.

After receiving the medals Paul, who was a private in the King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) from 1987 to 1995, said: "It means the world to me to have them back. The sweat, the blood and the tears that went into earning them made the loss totally devastating.

Brown explained that the Scottish Government had decided to intervene after the MoD Medals Office in London refused to pay for the silver to cast the new medals.

Over a prolonged spell of wrangling, the Medals Office had agreed to waive an admin fee and VAT but would not budge on the cost of the medals.