SAS veteran who starred in Channel 4 show denies Iraq War 'mercy killings'

'If anywhere in that book says there were three wounded guys and I killed them, all that is absolute nonsense,' says Colin Maclachlan

A manuscript of the book was submitted to the Ministry of Defence (Channel 4)

An SAS veteran has denied he shot dead three fatally wounded enemy soldiers during the Iraq War.

Reports had claimed Colin Maclachlan, who starred in Channel 4 show SAS: Who Dares Wins, faced a murder investigation after he reportedly suggested in a new book that he had carried out the 'mercy killings' during an ambush mission in 2003.

But the former soldier distanced himself from part of the book which described the aftermath of an attack on Iraqi army convoy where the injured enemy troops were killed.

Mr Maclachlan told The Sun: "If anywhere in that book says there were three wounded guys and I killed them, all that is absolute nonsense.

"I certainly didn't walk up and execute three people. I stand by what happened but I didn't kill them. That's taking it a bridge too far."

The 42-year-old from Edinburgh said a draft copy of the book in his name that was handed to a newspaper was ghost written and that he had not read it.

Mercy killings, where fatally injured enemy soldiers are killed on the battlefield to end their suffering, is illegal under UK military law and breaches standards in the Geneva Convention.

The Ministry of Defence has been sent a copy of the book to ensure any confidential information has not been leaked.

Military police are believed to be carrying out ”preliminary inquiries” after they too were passed a manuscript of the book.

A Ministry of Defence source said no formal investigation had begun but that any such inquiry had not been ruled out.