Finding child's severed head drove Iraq guard over edge, says family

Published on Friday 14 August 2009 22:05

A FORMER British soldier accused of shooting dead two colleagues in Iraq was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and should never have been given a job as a private security guard in the country, his family has said.

Danny Fitzsimons, 29, was arrested by Iraqi police after the attack in Baghdad's International Zone last Sunday which left two fellow ArmorGroup employees dead and a third injured.

He faces a possible death penalty in Iraq for the alleged double murder.

It also emerged that he faced a possible jail term in Britain and has a conviction for firearms offences.

His family said the former paratrooper was tormented by his experiences in Kosovo and Iraq and should never have been given clearance to work for a security firm in Baghdad.

Michael Fitzsimons, 26, described how at night his brother would pace the floor, screaming so loudly he woke neighbours.

He also recalled his brother sobbing as he spoke of the child's head he had found in Kosovo and picking up bits of his friend's brain in Iraq.

"He used to be intelligent, mischievous and funny," he said. "I was looking at my brother who I loved, but I was frightened of him. He was volatile, lost and lonely. He would say, 'I am f***** up. I am gone. I have had a pistol in my hand with one in the chamber and I have been close (to suicide]'. He said to me: 'I won't make it past 30. I will either get shot or kill myself'."

Fitzsimons, who served eight years in the forces, had pulled a flare gun on children and fired it into the air to scare them off at his home in Greater Manchester. He was convicted of a public order offence over the incident, and has yet to be sentenced.

In November, he was given a suspended sentence for firearms offences after being found in possession of prohibited ammunition.

The two men he is accused of murdering were Paul McGuigan, from Peeblesshire, and Australian Darren Hoare. Another ArmorGroup employee, Arkhan Mahdi, was shot and wounded in the incident.

Mr McGuigan, 37, a former Royal Marine Commando, had a son and was about to become a father for a second time.

Mr Hoare, 37, from Queensland, served in Iraq with the Royal Australian Air Force before working as a private security contractor. He leaves three children with his partner, Mollyjoe.

Mr McGuigan's fiance Nicola last night urged the Iraqi authorities to release his body for burial as soon as possible.

"It is all so traumatic – I feel I cannot properly grieve until he is home," she said.

"The idea that we will have to wait several weeks because of the investigation before we bury him is intolerable – my dread is that I have to bury him close to the birth of his child."

Fitzsimons has claimed that he reached for his gun in a drunken brawl.

His father Eric and stepmother Liz, both teachers, fear their son will be fast-tracked through the Iraqi court system and face execution to avoid causing embarrassment to the private security industry.

Mrs Fitzsimons said: "We feel deeply for the men who were shot and their families but there is a third victim. He is very, very poorly."

'Honour them'

THE family of a soldier killed by the Taliban have called for the three comrades who tried to save his life to be honoured.

Penicuik-born Sergeant Jonathan William Mathews, 35, of The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, died on 28 July last year on patrol in Afghanistan.

He had moved into a ditch to take cover but, as he held up his rifle to shoot, he was hit by a single fatal bullet.

Under enemy fire, Signalman Lee Townson dragged him ten metres to the safety of a compound. Captain Ben Foster came to his aid, along with medic Lance Corporal Matthew Narusberg, but their efforts were in vain.

At an inquest yesterday assistant deputy coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, David Masters, recorded a verdict of unlawful killing while on active service.

After the verdict, Sgt Mathews' widow Shona – who has a daughter Meghan and stepson William – said: "I just want to say thank-you to the boys for everything they did, they could have been killed themselves. They should get recognition for what they did to try to save Jon."

His brother David said: "He was a true professional."