Mousa public inquiry: Soldiers 'out for revenge'

The British soldiers who 'killed' an Iraqi man in their custody were out for 'revenge', the victim's father has said.

In a public inquiry into the death of hotel receptionist Baha Mousa, his father, Daoud Mousa, has said soldiers may have taken revenge after he reported members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment after seeing them break into a safe.

Mr Mousa was killed in 2003 in the custody of British troops, with a post mortem showed he had died of asphyxiation and had at least 93 injuries to his body, including fractured ribs and a broken nose.

The public inquiry is looking into the death, detainee's treatment and army methods, and is being led by retired Court of Appeal Judge William Gage.

The 26-year-old's father, a former Iraqi police officer, said he feared his son had been singled out by troops during a hotel raid in Basra in September 2003.

Daoud Mousa told the inquiry his son had 'been happy when the British troops came in' [to the hotel]. He added his son 'hated' Saddam Hussein and that he himself had only reported the troops because he 'thought that it was a violation of English dignity and honour, and the honour of English troops'.

'My son was tortured to death in front of his colleagues,' Mr Mousa said in a written statement. 'It is clear that the soldiers responsible gained sadistic pleasure by laughing continually while my son was being abused.'

The death of Baha Mousa has led to the conviction of Britain's first war criminal, Cpl. Donald Payne, who was sentenced to a year in a civilian jail and dismissed from the army.