We’re fighting for you, Danny
Reporter: BEATRIZ AYALA
Date published: 27 January 2010
Ex-paratrooper could face death penalty
THE parents of a former paratrooper facing the death penalty in Iraq are to take their fight to bring him home to the Prime Minister.
Danny Fitzsimons, a one-time pupil at Our Lady’s Catholic School, Royton, has gone on trial accused of shooting dead two fellow private security guards in Baghdad in August, last year.
Danny’s trial was opened and adjourned to allow psychiatric reports to be completed.
If convicted, Danny, who was raised in New Moston, could become the first foreigner publicly executed in the country.
The 29-year-old is being held in a cell in a heavily-protected region of Iraq’s capital city known as the Green Zone.
His father Eric (61) and stepmother Liz (55), who live in Whitworth, Rochdale, said that Danny, 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 security firm ArmorGroup.
The couple, who both work as PE teachers at Newbridge School, Failsworth, have always maintained that Danny was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) since leaving the Army at 24.
Mrs Fitzsimons said: “We know he is innocent and are hoping the whole sequence of events will be heard in court.
“But we are not really sure because the whole thing is being done in Arabic.
“We are hoping to meet our Iraqi lawyer in the next few weeks. We don’t accept the events as they have been reported. We want Danny to get a fair trial and get treatment in this country.”
The couple have met with MP Ivan Lewis, Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) and are hoping he takes the matter to the top.
They have also met with constituency MP Jim Dobbin who is drawing up a transfer agreement with Justice Secretary Jack Straw, to allow Danny to serve his sentence in the UK, if convicted.
Mrs Fitzsimons said they have had no personal contact with Danny. She added: “The information we’ve received is that he’s been suffering flashbacks, hallucinations and paranoia.
“He can’t sleep for longer than two hours, he’s losing weight and everytime he hears a bomb go off he’s back in operations.”
She added: “We are desperately sorry for the two men who died and their families, but we feel it could have been Danny in a box and not them.”
A petition urging a fair trial for Danny has been set up on social networking site facebook, as does the website www.bringbackdanny.co.uk
Mrs Fitzsimons said: “Our hands are tied, we have no say in the Iraqi judicial system.
“It’s been very hard on the family, but we’re trying to stay positive. We can’t afford to think about the worst.”
Mr Fitzsimons (61) played for Oldham RL Club between 1979 to 1981 and later coached the team. He also coached St Anne’s Amateur Rugby Club.
