By James Hamilton

AN ARMY officer who caused a massive blaze at his barracks when he fired a flare at a drunken army party held by a Scottish regiment has been ordered to pay £10,000 in compensation.

Captain Rupert Nurich, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, was severely reprimanded at a court martial after the out-of-date flare smashed through a window of living quarters, causing the blaze at Allenby Barracks in Bovington, Dorset, following a troop leader’s fathers dinner.

A group of around 50 service personnel and civilians retired to the pool and bar area for “post- dinner entertainment”.

Soldiers planned “gladiatorial combat games” on the pool for the entertainment and also had a firework fight across the pool with Roman Candles.

Cpt Nurich fell through the makeshift pontoon on the pool, made to try to host the combat game similar to an event on the famous 1990s show Gladiators, and fired the flare upon getting out.

Cpt Nurich, 28, was convicted of negligent criminal damage of service property and sentenced following at trial at Bulford barracks in Wiltshire.

The court heard steward Christine Baston was on the phone in her sixth-floor room when the flare smashed through the window and caught fire, destroying her property.

Cpt Nurich was cleared of arson and the case against Lieutenant Tim Carpenter, who handed him the flares, was dropped half way through the trial.

Cpt Nurich, who drank two glasses of Pimms and around six small glasses of wine over the course of the evening, argued he was not acting negligently and aimed the flare away from people and buildings.

Prosecuting, David Edwards said: “There was a troop leader’s fathers dinner that finished at 11pm. Lots of people, having a bit to drink, then went outside to the pool. They went out there for mess games which were some form of gladiatorial games. Cpt Nurich built a bridge out of wood going across the pool.

“He got a kayak out and tried to get in it but fell in the pool.

“He got out and was given the flare by Lt Carpenter. It was set off and broke a window on the sixth floor.

“The steward knew the games were going on and was on the phone at the time when the flare came through her window.”