(28 Feb 2011) SHOTLIST
1. Wide exterior of court
2. People walking into court
3. Close of sign reading: (Arabic) "Justice Palace in Karkh"
4. Various of British security contractor Danny Fitzsimons (bald man wearing black suit) escorted by policemen guiding him to court
5. Tilt down of court exterior
6. Mid of court entrance with security and cameraman
7. Close of court sign
8. People leaving court
9. Wide of courtyard
10. Various of Fitzsimons leaving court escorted by policemen
11. Wide of British Embassy spokesman leaving court
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Name Not Given, British Embassy Spokesman:
"This was a decision made by the Iraqi court. We respect the independence of the Iraqi Judicial system and note the court's verdict and the sentence. We will continue to offer consular assistance to Mr. Fitzsimons. At this time we should also remember the families of those who died in the tragic incident Mr. Fitzsimons was in trial for."
13. Wide of Fitzsimons' Iraqi lawyer, Tariq Harb, talking on phone
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Tariq Harb, Fitzsimons' Iraqi Lawyer:
"The case is over. The court said the judgment. It is a good court and a good result: we saved (him) from the hang."
15. Various of Fitzsimons being led into police van
16. Pan of police van leaving
17. Wide of police van AUDIO: siren
STORYLINE
An Iraqi court on Monday convicted a British man and sentenced him to 20 years in prison over the shooting deaths of two contractors, making him the first Westerner convicted in an Iraqi court since the 2003 US invasion.
Danny Fitzsimons, 30, was found guilty in the 2009 fatal shootings of a British and Australian contractor who worked with him and with attempting to kill an Iraqi guard.
Fitzsimons' Iraqi lawyer, Tariq Harb, whose client had been facing the death penalty, said he was happy with the sentence.
The former security contractor from Rochdale, England, admitted to shooting the men but claimed it was self-defence.
The men had been out drinking and the other two tried to kill him during an altercation, Fitzsimons said during previous testimony.
He also claimed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
In handing down the verdict, the head judge of the three-judge panel said Fitzsimons' mental condition was taken into consideration when deciding on the sentence.
Fitzsimons was accompanied by his Iraqi lawyer, Tariq Harb; his family and British lawyer, who attended a court session last week, were not in attendance.
Fitzsimons now has 30 days to appeal, which Harb said he would do.
Last week, Fitzsimons' British lawyer, John Tripple, said the family and British authorities were trying to reach an agreement with the Iraqi government to have Fitzsimons transferred to a British prison if he is not given the death penalty.
A US-Iraqi security pact that took effect January 1, 2009, lifted immunity for foreign contractors, an important development for Iraqis who viewed the security contractors operating in Iraq as reckless and acting with impunity.
A September 2007 shooting in Baghdad involving another security firm, the North Carolina-based Blackwater Worldwide, now known as Xe, left 17 Iraqi civilians dead and galvanised Iraqi authorities to push to lift the immunity.
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