Midland hostage survivor 'feels no guilt' as guard's body is returned

Jan 22 2012 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

THE Midland man who was the only survivor from an Iraq hostage nightmare yesterday said he felt no guilt as the corpse of his last remaining bodyguard was returned.

Computer expert Peter Moore, 38, from Leicestershire, was released alive just before Christmas 2009 by an Iraqi militia group which had seized him and his four bodyguards in May 2007.

The bodies of three of the guards were returned in exchange for an Iraqi prisoner in 2009, and on Friday, the body of a fourth British man, Alan McMenemy, was finally returned to his family.

Mr Moore said he hoped the relatives of the Scottish security guard could now find peace.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “It’s important to get his body back. It gives closure to the whole thing. When I was released, I was told that Alan’s body would be released with me.

“Alan and I were taken together, and the four guards were split into two groups of two.

“In June 2007, myself and Alan were moved midway between Baghdad and Basra. I was with him until December 2007. We were chained together and regularly beaten. After that, I don’t know what happened to him. I was told by two commanders from the militia that my guards had been killed.”