Thomas Sutherland

BORN MAY 3, 1931 - DIED JULY 23, 2016, AGED 85

THOMAS Sutherland found unwanted fame as a hostage seized in Beirut, where he was held for more than six years and released with Terry Waite.

Sutherland was held captive for 2,353 days and later co-wrote a book, At Your Own Risk, with wife Jean about his experience, including the temptation to commit suicide.

He was a dean at the American University in Beirut when he was taken by Islamic terrorists and kept in the same cell as the Associated Press’s Terry Anderson.

Sutherland was born in Falkirk and took a PhD in animal science at Iowa State before becoming a professor of animal genetics at Colorado State. He is survived by Jean and their three daughters.