Murderer not properly vetted: documentary

A BBC documentary last night claimed that security f irm G4S was aware of crucial screening failures months before an armed guard murdered t wo colleagues in Iraq.

Danny Fitzsimons was sentenced to at least 20 years in 2011 for killing Scot Paul McGuigan and A ustralian Darren Hoare in Baghdad in A ugust 2009.

A ll three were working for UK security firm G4S.

The BBC’s Scotland 2014, screened at 10.30 last night, claims to have seen a leaked copy of the internal report carried out by G4S in the wake of the shootings.

The report shows the vetting process that Danny Fitzsimons, from Rochdale, Lancashire, underwent.

Basic documents such as a completed application form and military references to cover the years he was not working for G4S were missing while details given on his personnel form were “incomplete and inappropriate”.

The documentary also claims that the criminal records bureau certificate, which would have flagged up previous convictions, was never obtained and that he was on bail facing other criminal charges.

A t the bottom of the compliancy table, there are two crosses and it states “no check or sign off in place”.

The day after the f ile should have been signed off , Fit zsi mons was deployed to Iraq, t he documentary says.

Mr McGuigan’s mother, Corinne Boyd-Russell, who lives in Innerleithen in the Borders, told the BBC: “Why would you put guns into the hands of men who hadn’t been vetted properly or screened properly? Why do that?

“A lthough Danny Fi t z s i m o n s wa s the murderer, G4S are responsible for the murder of my son and Darren Hoare. I’ll never ever change that opinion, never.”

A n inquest into the shooting of Mr McGuigan, a former Royal Marine from Peebles, is due to take place in the autumn.

Paul McGuigan, left, and Danny Fitzsimons.