Ex-soldier accused of fraud ‘ lied about SAS heroics and cancer fight’
TO anyone who would listen, Simon Buckden told of his extraordinary courage in the face of terrible adversity and bad luck.
The 44-year- old described himself as a ‘superman’ who became an SAS war hero after being abused as a child, a court was told.
He was a champion for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, gaining media attention for running charity marathons while battling cancer, the jury heard.
But in reality he had never seen front-line action in the Army and was no more than a paper-shuffling clerk. He had never been diagnosed or treated for cancer.
Buckden’s accounts of military heroics and cancer were a fabrication designed to gain sympathy, it was alleged. He was given free services by those who believed him. One businessman touched by his fundraising efforts gave him £2,000 for a holiday.
Yesterday the ex- soldier went on trial after denying six fraud charges. Craig Hassall, prosecuting at Leeds Crown Court, said Buckden even fooled girlfriends, proposing to one while carrying the Olympic torch in Leeds.
Military records show he joined the Royal Signals Corps in 1989 and left the Army in 2001. For almost all that time he was based in the UK, apart from six months in Bosnia with peacekeeping forces. He was given no medals and was never mentioned in dispatches. But the jury heard Buckden said he endured a ‘living nightmare’ in two Gulf wars, Bosnia, Rwanda and undercover work in Northern Ireland.
He even claimed to be a member of the SAS. A document he wrote about himself for potential financial backers told how he witnessed mass graves, carried a child who died in his arms and saw villages torched in Bosnia. At one public speaking course – given to Buckden for free – he told Army stories about how he ‘watched his friends die and watching children killed with their blood spattered on him’.
He allegedly claimed to have shot a friend in the knee while undercover in Ireland, to show he was on the IRA’s side.
Buckden also said he was physically abused aged six by his mother who starved him of ‘food, love and affection’. He was put into care and suffered beatings, before joining the Army at 17.
When his military career ended, Buckden told well-wishers he was ‘drinking heavily to numb the pain’. Mr Hassall said the exsoldier became a media figure in 2012 when he decided to run 100 marathons in 100 weeks to raise awareness of PTSD.
He told some people he had bowel cancer and others rectal cancer, and falsely claimed to have had chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the court heard. He had ‘told untruths’ to gain financial benefits, said Mr Hassall – free sessions with a behavioural coach, a free £297 public speaking course, free treatment from a complementary therapist worth £240 and a film valued at around £ 3,000 promoting his work. Around £1,500 raised at a business event was also sent to him.
Mr Hassall said Buckden’s master plan mentioned ‘hiring out’ his Olympic torch, setting up his own website, getting sponsorship and a ghostwriter for his book. He wanted a mobile phone, laptop, fuel card and a holiday.
The jury heard Buckden, of Leeds, had been diagnosed with PTSD but the ‘issue’ for them to consider was whether it stemmed from his service in the Army.
A consultant psychiatrist concluded Buckden was not mentally ill and he would not attribute much of his emotional problems to his Army career.
The case continues.