British ex-soldier accused of murdering two colleagues in Iraq

A former British soldier accused of murdering two colleagues during a drunken row in Iraq was appearing at a Baghdad court today.

Former paratrooper Daniel Fitzsimons (aged 33) is accused of shooting fellow British private security guard Paul McGuigan (aged 37) and Australian Darren Hoare (aged 37) after a row in a bar inside a compound in the Iraqi capital in August last year.

Fitzsimons is understood to be the first Westerner facing an Iraqi trial on murder charges since an agreement giving foreign workers immunity was lifted.

Fitzsimons, originally from Rochdale, Lancashire, England and the two other men were working for the British private security firm ArmorGroup.

Interior ministry spokesman Major General Abdul-Kareem Khalaf said Fitzsimons could face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted of murder.

A spokesman at the UK’s Baghdad embassy confirmed Fitzsimons was appearing in court today, but was unable to give further details.

Family and friends have said Fitzsimons is suffering mental torment from the things he witnessed while serving eight years in the British Army, including tours of duty during the Balkans conflict and in Iraq.

His lawyers, John Tipple and Nick Wrack, were attempting to have him extradited back to the UK to face any charges.

Mr McGuigan, a former Royal Marines commando from Peebles-shire in the Scottish Borders, had a son and was about to become a father for a second time.

Father-of-three Mr Hoare, from Queensland, served in Iraq as a member of the Royal Australian Air Force before starting work as a private security contractor.

He was believed to be appearing at the Central Criminal Court of Iraq for a pre-judicial hearing, a British Foreign Office source said.