In May 2007, Keith Tilbury was participating in police training when he was struck down by gunfire. As reported in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Tilbury has received an undisclosed payout for the personal injury. It is known that the work accident was so serious that Mr Tilbury received in excess of £100,000.

The incident occurred in a weapons training session conducted by Thames Valley Police. The individual allegedly responsible for the shooting was David Micklethwaite. Mr Micklethwaite was under the erroneous impression that he was using dummy ammunition. He shot Mr Tilbury in the stomach, causing horrendous injuries.

Mr Tilbury was nearly killed and sustained a terrible personal injury. He was unconscious for a considerable period of time and several major operations were necessary to save his life. Fortunately, he survived two weeks in intensive care, but his career was over.

Both Thames Valley Police and Mr Micklethwaite have been found culpable for the terrible injuries endured by Mr Tilbury. They have both fallen foul of health and safety legislation. Mr Micklethwaite was obliged to pay a total of £16,000 in September 2009. Thames Valley Police had to pay a fine of £40,000 for their role in the affair.

Mr Micklethwaite was not disciplined for his alleged lapse in procedure as he retired before the police could act against him. Mr Tilbury has received a large sum of money by pursuing compensation claims, but it is probably the case that no amount of cash can compensate for what he has gone through.