Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence grounded all Nimrods that had not had their engine-bay hot air ducts replaced, and admitted negligence in relation to the explosion that killed 14 service men.
Although Mrs Swarbrick knew that her son had been posted to the Persian Gulf, she was unaware that he was taking part in a reconnaissance mission over Afghanistan and she launched the legal action against the MoD to establish why Steven was ordered to fly in a plane that was not safe.
She said: “I did not even know Steven was in Afghanistan.
“He was posted to the Gulf, and his mission was more to do with Iraq than Afghanistan.
“I remember the day the RAF came to see me and break the news.
“ I was on my own, and my son Karl had requested that this would never happen. I also know that my son died on what should have been his day off.”
Mrs Swarbrick said that Steven’s Formby friends remained a constant source of strength and comfort to his family, and hold a football match to celebrate the life of their friend every year in the village.
