Murdered war hero’s medals tracked down
THE family of a murdered war hero are to be presented with his long-lost medals after a military group tracked them down online.
Christopher Fields, 37, died after being savagely beaten at his home in Edgeley, Stockport, in December 2014.
Before his death, the Royal Airforce veteran, who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was forced to sell his medals to pay his rent, after falling on hard times financially.
But the The Royal Airforce Regiment Band of Brothers, which was set up to provide support to veterans, has now tracked them down online and bought them back.
The group is set to present Christopher’s family with the four medals later this month in a ceremony at the Blesma home for veterans in Blackpool.
Members of the group scoured eBay until they found the medals, which include the ISAF medal, which was given to all coalition soldiers who served for more than 30 days in Afghanistan.
The seller, who had legitimately bought the medals, sold them back to the organisation for the exact price he paid for them.
Group treasurer Paul Cunningham said: “When we read about what happened, we decided we were going to try to get the medals back for the family.
“We’ve had a fantastic response from Christopher’s family, they were really overwhelmed by the generosity of the Band of Brothers”.
Christopher retired from the air force on medical grounds in 2006.
He died in hospital on December 21, 2014, nine days after being attacked at his home in Old Chapel Street, near Stockport town centre.
After his death, his family paid tribute to him, describing him as ‘the best son, brother and family member anyone could ask for’.
Joe Hasledine was jailed for life in June 2015 after admitting breaking into Christopher’s flat and subjecting him to a violent assault while high on drink and drugs.
The killer wrongly believed Christopher had been involved in the death of his pet dog, which was put down after attacking another dog.
He must serve at least 16 and a half years before he can even apply for parole.
Hasledine later appealed to have his sentence reduced, but was rejected by appeal court judges, who described his sentence as ‘deserved’.