Soldier shot in face by Taliban is living in his car because he can't find a job

EXCLUSIVE: Jack Lamb, who has battled PTSD, says he has been forced to live off benefits and store his belongings in his car after leaving the Army

Jack Lamb said he couldn't even get a job working at a petrol station (Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)

A hero Army bomb finder who was shot in the head by a ­sniper in Afghanistan is ­penniless and living in a car.

Jack Lamb told how he has battled PTSD since taking a Taliban bullet in the face while on patrol six years ago.

After a 13-hour operation to save his life, he spent three years being treated at the Army’s Headley Court rehabilitation center in Surrey before being medically discharged.

The 25-year-old ex-Rifleman accused the Army of not helping him readjust to life on civvy street where he is on benefits after failing to find work. I came into the real world with no real skills and severe brain damage,” he said.

“I didn’t even know how to pay my own bills.

“I’ve had severe PTSD, breakdowns and put a lot on to my family. I believe there should be more help for ­people like me out there.”

The former bomb finder says he has been forced to stay on other people's sofas (Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)

He has had to store his belongings in his car after struggling to find work (Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)

He has been sofa surfing and has his belongings in a VW Golf after a relative could no longer put him up.

Jack, of Jarrow, Tyneside, joined 3 Rifles after leaving school at 16 and was deployed to Afghanistan searching for mines and IEDs.

He said: “All I knew was the Army. After I left, my life hit rock bottom. I’m on an Army pension but that doesn’t get you far.

“I applied for a part-time job at a petrol station but was told I didn’t have the right skills. I was one of the best bomb finders in the Army but I couldn’t work in a petrol station. That was a wake-up call for me.”

Jack’s hopes were raised when he spotted an advert asking ex-service ­personnel to appear on the BBC’s property makeover ­programme DIY SOS.

In the show, fronted by Nick Knowles, volunteers – joined by Princes William and Harry – turned empty houses into a community for ex-servicemen and women in Newton Heath, Manchester.

The BBC hinted at training chances in the building trade, with one message saying: “There will be amazing ­opportunities to gain construction experience and possible placements with top construction firms”.

Jack says the Army is all he has ever known after first joining at 16 (Image: Mirrorpix.com)

But six years ago, he was shot in the head by a Taliban sniper in Afghanistan before being medically discharged (Image: Mirrorpix.com)

Jack says producers even dangled the prospect of an internship with the Beeb to get him on the programme.

But nothing came of it and he claims they were more interested in getting his dramatic story on TV than showing a “duty of care” to his mental illness.

He ended up living in a home built on the show but moved out after his mental state worsened after he was housed with a fantasist who was caught lying about serving in the Afghan war.

He had hoped appearing on BBC's DIY SOS would improve his fortunes (Image: BBC/PA)

Jack now wants to train with the ISSEE security and explosives ­consultancy so he can carry out ­humanitarian work helping to clear minefields in former war zones.

The BBC said: “We take the welfare of contributors very seriously and have practices in place to ensure an on-going duty of care.

“On this occasion we worked with charities who have the facilities and expertise needed to provide support for ­ex-servicemen on a long-term basis.”

The Sunday People’s Save Our Soldiers campaign is ­demanding the Government does more to help troops ­suffering from PTSD.

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