Two Brits and an Aussie mixing alcohol with firearms. Even the cowboys out West know that's not a good idea.“They were all very drunk and started shouting at each other. They had a big argument and suddenly [Mr Fitzsimons] pulled out a gun and shot his two friends,” a witness said. “An Iraqi was standing behind him and tried to take away the gun. But he turned around and shot him ... Then he ran away.”
A lethal mix and mix a bit of stress in..(and possibly a little of something else) to it....Boooommmm.The men, almost all former soldiers, usually work long, non-stop shifts and few get a day off while in the country. They come for the money and rarely leave their compounds. Their free time is mostly spent on the internet, watching videos and drinking alcohol.
A need for apologies? Maybe my mate Rico posted this without realising it sounded a wee bit ambiguous. He's normally unequivocal (his recent retort to me, 'I'm not your mate', springs to mind). It would be nice to see a 'sorry chaps', reply, though.banpaeng wrote:If your point is, this is a problem worldwide then so be it. If this is directed against the Brits or Aussie, I feel an apology is in order.
Yes, I think someone above said these chaps are highly trained but what's forgotten is that these young lads are now removed from the Forces system and left to make their own decisions. For example, there's no one there anymore to say, 'two cans of beer a week while you're on ops', something we had to adhere to when we were out there (with rifles locked up aswell). And what about rotating troops away from stressful situations? I'm guessing but I reckon the private sector security groups will have their contractors working solid for the time they're in theatre.laphanphon wrote:sadly, nobody has a monopoly on stupidity, alcohol and guns/knives/violence/emotional distress, just don't mix well. no matter what idiot country you come from.
Agreed, the Forces would not mix the two. HM Forces are HSE groupies.wazza wrote:If they were on stand down time, where is the HSE policy of leaving the gun etc..... The laywers will love this one, sue the company for allowing them to have the alcohol, and the guns
HE British security guard who allegedly shot dead two workmates in Iraq was described as "trigger happy" by former colleagues yesterday.
Ex-Para Danny Fitzsimons is accused of killing former Royal Marine Paul McGuigan and Aussie Darren Hoare, both 37, during a vodka binge.
Members of his old regiment yesterday called him a "loose cannon" ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
Row
The ex-Fusilier, 30, is said to have pulled out his Beretta pistol and shot his pals when a row broke out at their villa in Baghdad's protected Green Zone at 4am on Sunday.
All three worked for UK security firm ArmorGroup.
Fitzsimons also allegedly wounded Iraqi guard Arkhan Mahdi in the leg. He was arrested after a shoot-out.
Iraqi officials say Fitzsimons - the first foreign security guard arrested since the 2003 invasion - is likely to HANG if found guilty of murder.
Our pictures show him in the famous red beret, slumped on a sofa with a drink and in Iraq with a Kalashnikov rifle.
Manchester-born Fitzsimons left the Army in 2004 after joining at 16 and serving on the frontline in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East.
A former 2 Para colleague said yesterday: "He was a Jekyll and Hyde character, always getting into scrapes."
But the pal said his behaviour got more erratic when he started £600-a-day protection work in Iraq.
He claimed: "He was trigger happy". He alleged Fitzsimons once shot an Iraqi bus driver DEAD while manning a road block when he blasted at the windscreen instead of firing a warning shot.
He also alleged Fitzsimons was booted out of the Army after cocaine traces were found in a blood test.
A spokesman for another security firm where Fitzsimons once worked, Aegis, said he had been sacked after "negligently" discharging a revolver.
Another ex-2 Para colleague said: "He was a law unto himself."
Fitzsimons's dad Eric said last night his son left the Forces with post-traumatic stress.
Mr Fitzsimons, 60, of Rochdale, Lancs, said: "He came across a dead child cut to ribbons. It stays with you."
Last year Fitzsimons wrote on Facebook returning soldiers "fight... a war inside your head".
You'd have thought that little incident would have come to the attention of the other firms. What's more, I'm surprised his reputation didn't precede him.A spokesman for another security firm where Fitzsimons once worked, Aegis, said he had been sacked after "negligently" discharging a revolver.
£18000 a month.....Woooooo...£600-a-day protection work in Iraq.
