War veteran Rickey Burnham fears he may never see his family again.

Former soldier Rickey, 25, was forced to sleep rough on the streets of Lewes in September after his life was ripped apart by post traumatic stress disorder brought on by his time serving in Iraq.

Life is looking up for the Gulf War veteran, who first served his country at 19, and he has found temporary housing.

But he says the prospect of seeing his family is a distant dream.

Rickey's marriage broke down and he fell out with his parents as he was haunted by the terrors of war. Rickey always wanted to be a soldier but the reality of seeing scores of dead and mutilated bodies, being under constant attack and living in a ditch for months at a time has left him with crippling emotional problems, which he is only now coming to terms with.

Rickey was offered support from Argus readers who heard about his plight and has been helped to get in contact with Brighton-based post traumatic stress recovery group Where Do I Belong and the Royal British Legion.

He has also been in contact with the charity Combat Stress, which is helping him to claim a war pension.