Ex-soldier is ‘very poorly’

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 said.

Danny Fitzsimons (29), of Middleton, was arrested by Iraqi police after the attack in Baghdad’s International Zone last Sunday (9 August) which left two fellow ArmorGroup employees dead and a third injured.

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

It also emerged Fitzsimons was facing a possible jail term in Britain and has a conviction for firearms offences.

His family said the ex–paratrooper, who served eight years in the forces, was tormented by his experiences in Kosovo and Iraq and should never have been given clearance to work for a security firm in Baghdad.

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

He also recalled his brother sobbing as he spoke of the child’s head he had found in Kosovo and the faces of those he had killed.

“He used to be intelligent, mischievous and funny with a great sense of humour,” he said. “I was looking at my brother who I loved to bits but I was frightened of him. He was volatile, lost and lonely.”