'Sunday' actor jailed for coup attempt
A British mercenary who starred in the 2002 film 'Bloody Sunday' has been jailed for 34 years in Equatorial Guinea for attempting to overthrow the government in an attempted coup.
Simon Mann played the role of Colonel Derek Wilford, commander of the paratroopers in Derry in 1972, alongside James Nesbitt in Paul Greengrass' award-winning movie.
Mann famously described the events of January 30, 1972, as a "cock-up", and said he took the role in the movie to "defend the Army".
On Monday, the 56-year-old was jailed for 34 years and four months by a court in Equatorial Guinea for his role in the 2004 coup plot.
He was also ordered to pay a fine and compensation to the Equatorial Guinea state totalling around $24m.
During the four-day trial, the former special forces officer admitted he had tried to topple the government of President Obiang with a gang of mercenaries hired in South Africa.
The Equatorial Guinea government has issued international arrest warrants against Sir Mark Thatcher - son of former British PM Margaret Thatcher - who funded a helicopter for the plot.
Mann is a former member of the SAS and served in Northern Ireland as well as in The Gulf War.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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