Family of geologist held in Iraq ‘feel like fools’

THE family of a retired British geologist who is facing the death penalty in Iraq have said that the Foreign Office made them “feel like fools” over their handling of his case.

Jim Fitton could be sentenced to death after being accused of attempting to smuggle shards of pottery out of the country. His children, Joshua and Leila, and Leila’s husband Sam Tasker, have launched a petition calling on the Government to act on Mr Fitton’s behalf.

Mr Fitton, 66, was detained in Baghdad on March 20. Mr Tasker said: “We feel like fools because we spent three weeks waiting for the Foreign Office to tell us what they were going to do, to then be told they’re not going to do anything. We have been left alone to try and sort this all out by ourselves,” he added.

Mr Tasker said the Foreign Office had displayed a “lack of political leadership” and “a reluctance to get involved”.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: “We are providing consular support to a British national in Iraq and are in contact with the local authorities.”