Wonga coup mercenary sorry for attack on ‘toxic dragon’ brigadier

Last month, former Scots Guards officer Simon Mann caused outrage when he was accused of a “character assassination” of his former commanding officer and clan chief Brigadier Gregor MacGregor of MacGregor in his autobiography.

Mann, who was convicted of plotting the so-called “Wonga coup” in Equatorial Guinea, described Brigadier MacGregor – his CO in the Scots Guards in the 1970s – as a “small, toxic, red-haired, farting, foul-mouthed, stentorian dragon”.

He later compared the highly decorated Second World War hero to the pompous cartoon character Colonel Blimp.

The comments angered Brigadier MacGregor’s son, Sir Malcolm MacGregor, who also served in the Scots Guards and who succeeded his father as clan chief. He wrote to Mann complaining about the remarks which he said denigrate his father’s memory.

Now the family has received an apology and a truce has been called in the bitter row.

Mann offered a “sincere and unreserved apology”. In it he said: “In truth, I never had anything other than respect for him, [Sir Gregor MacGregor], robust though he was. Clearly, while trying to write an amusing account I went too far.”

At the time, Sir Malcolm, who is married to BBC newsreader Fiona Armstrong, said he was furious at the comments and was concerned the book may be turned into a film.

He said Mann was “quite happy to character-assassinate people who are no longer alive, which is extremely bad form”.

“There is an unwritten code in the army that you don’t write badly about people as a matter of course yet he has done so. He makes a big thing about ‘brothers in arms’ but his comments make a mockery of that.”

Yesterday, Sir Malcolm said: “I appreciate Captain Mann writing to me and I now hope to put the matter to rest.”

The attack on Brigadier MacGregor had also been condemned by Major Munro Davidson, secretary of the Scots Guards Association, who served with both men. He said: “The brigadier was a very fierce man, but wasn’t that bad. His bark was worse than his bite. He was a nice bloke but didn’t tolerate fools. If you did your job well you were fine. If you didn’t, woe betide you.”

Colonel Clive Fairweather, former deputy commander of the SAS who served with Mann, also criticised him at the time. He said: “It’s unfair to assassinate someone’s character when they can’t defend themselves. I would have thought Simon would know better. You would think he’d know not to lash out in that way. It’s slightly caddish behaviour.”

Mann served with the Guards in the 1970s and later with the SAS. He later got involved in the oil trade and mercenary work in Africa. He was arrested in 2004 and sentenced to 34 years for his part in the Wonga coup bid in Equatorial Guinea, so named because of its financial backers.

The plot also involved Mark Thatcher and former Scots Guards officer Tim Spicer. Mann was released in 2009 after being pardoned by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Sir Malcolm said that people involved with the Scots Guards, including himself, signed a petition to try to obtain Mann’s release from Equatorial Guinea and also Zimbabwe when he was imprisoned there.

“You would hope something like that wouldn’t be thrown back in your face”, he said.

Brigadier MacGregor, who was commissioned at 19, served as a platoon commander in Europe in the final months of the Second World War. He served in Malaya and Borneo and was a defence and military attaché to the British Embassy in Athens.