A PARALYSED war veteran has taken his first steps in almost eight years thanks to a pair of robotic legs.

Chris Baker was left paralysed after being hit with an improvised explosive device while serving with the Royal Engineers in Iraq in 2005.

At first, Mr Baker thought he had only suffered minor injuries and so carried on.

But his condition deteriorated as a result of an unknown spinal fracture.

He became paralysed four years later.

Yesterday at Christ Church in Coggeshall, Mr Baker took his first steps in nearly eight years thanks to a pair of £50,000 robotic legs.

He said: “It was absolutely fantastic, I felt like a giant.”

For the past eight years, Mr Baker, who stands at 6 ft, has seen life from his wheelchair.

He said yesterday: “Everyone looks so different because I’m seeing them all at eye height.

“I’m actually looking down on someone for a change.

“Everything that my body has got used to being normal just imploded, it’s such a strange sensation.

“It was just brilliant walking up and down that room.

“I felt like I was flying across because I have no feeling in the bottom half of my body.”

Mr Baker, 34, of Walford Way, Coggeshall, added: “My girlfriend, Caroline Hirst, was there today.

“We were friends when we were at school and Scouts and then met again after I was injured.

“She hadn’t seen me walk since I was 15 so she said how nice it was to see me up and walking around.”

Mr Baker is hoping he can get a permanent pair of the robotic exoskeleton legs made by specialist company ReWalk through sponsorship with the company or privately.

If not, he will be forced to try to fundraise for the full £50,000 himself.

The robotic legs use motion sensing technology and battery-powered motorised legs to create knee and hip movement, controlled by on-board computers and software.

They allow Mr Baker to stand upright, walk, turn and climb and descend stairs by himself.

He said: “They are life-changing or life normalising really.

“You couldn’t go and play basketball or something in them.

“For your normal day-to-day stuff, I could go up and down stairs and that sort of thing.

“They can go on the back of my bike like my wheelchair does and I can transfer to them when I’m out.

“If I don’t get sponsorship it’s a lot of fundraising but I will be having another go in them this year.”

For more information visit rewalk.com.