Iraq: Accused contractor 'mentally unfit'

A British military contractor accused of shooting dead two colleagues in Iraq was hired despite being sacked from another security firm and having a long history of psychiatric illness.

Daniel Fitzsimons, 29, is in Iraqi custody on charges of premeditated murder of ArmorGroup colleagues Paul McGuigan and Darren Hoar and wounding Iraqi worker Arkhan Mahdi. If convicted he faces execution.

Yesterday his family revealed that just months before being hired by ArmorGroup, a psychiatric report had found Fitzsimons was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress with repeated flashbacks, nightmares and anxiety attacks.

He had also been dismissed by the security firm Aegis while working in Iraq for "extreme negligence".

When taken on by ArmorGroup he was awaiting trial for assault having already been convicted of three other crimes including robbery, possession of ammunition and public order offences. The incident happened within 36 hours of Fitzsimons arriving back in Iraq.

His father and stepmother, both teachers from Manchester, said others also bore responsibility for what happened: "We did not even know he had gone out there," they said. "He patently should not have been allowed to go to Iraq. He is extremely poorly."

ArmorGroup said it could not comment on the specific allegations because of the ongoing investigation and added: "Under our terms of employment, employees are obliged to provide a medical certificate prior to posting overseas that confirms that they are fit to do so."

Mike Hancock, the longest-serving member of the House of Commons defence select committee, said he would press for an investigation into the controls on private defence firms.

"It's unacceptable for any security company to take on any former member of the armed forces without thorough medical checks and pre-counselling. We need to legislate. Companies that recruit in the UK should be covered by British laws and have a responsibility to check the mental health wellbeing of the people they take on."

Fitzsimons's father, Eric, and stepmother, Liz, said their son had been diagnosed with a form of stress disorder when he was discharged from the British Army five years ago. But this had been exacerbated by repeated tours with security companies in Iraq in which he had been injured and lost countless friends to bombs. A recent assessment had found his condition had worsened.

Fitzsimons said his son should be recognised as another victim of the shooting. "We do feel very, very sorry for these two men and their families. But Daniel is also a victim."

They are terrified he would be made an example of for a multibillion-dollar industry, whose employees recently lost immunity following a shootout involving US security firm Blackwater in which 17 civilians were killed.

- INDEPENDENT