A FORMER paratrooper who has fallen on hard times after leaving the Army has written a script about the perils of soldiers becoming civilians.

Craig Wyting, 46, receives a £600 a month Army pension and just 10p a week in Jobseeker’s Allowance.

His house in Colchester is set to be repossessed because he cannot keep up with payments.

But Craig, secretary of North Essex Film Makers, has written a screenplay called Ten, and plans to the make the film this summer.

Ten is about how Britain treats its former soldiers.

Craig, who served in Bosnia in the Nineties, said: “I have had a hard time since leaving.

“I get 10p a week Jobseekers’ Allowance because of my pension. Ten pence is all I am worth after serving my country for 22 years. I could lose the house.

“I went to Bosnia and my experiences led to post traumatic stress, so I started writing to express my feelings.”

Sgt Wyting served in Third Battalion the Parachute Regiment for more than a decade and then in Colchester for six years with the Royal Military Police – six at the town’s Military Corrective Training Centre.

He left in 2005 and originally went into security, but has been out of work for two years.

Craig said: “I thought I would walk right into another job but it has not worked out that way.”

Since then he has been looking for work, writing and more recently helping at the newly-established film club.

Ten is set in Afghanistan and based on a company sergeant major on his tenth tour who is about to leave the Army.

Craig said: “He has three months left and is worried about what will happen when he becomes a civilian.

“It started with five roles and now has more than 50.”

He is holding a casting evening at Slack Space on Thursday, and has invited actors and former soldiers to audition for the parts.

Craig hopes the film will draw attention to how soldiers are abandoned. He said: “The support is really not good enough.

“When they come back here they could be a hero but no one would recognise it.”