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A mother whose son is among the five British men kidnapped in Iraq two years ago today spoke of her torment after the bodies of Jason Swindlehurst and Jason Cresswell were identified at the weekend.
Avril Sweeney said she had prepared herself for the worst when she heard the news, fearing her son Peter Moore may have been one of the dead. On discovering he was not, her anxiety turned to relief but then to sorrow for the men's families.
Mr Moore, 35, an IT consultant from Lincoln, was snatched in Baghdad two years ago along with his four security guards, who included Mr Swindlehurst, 38, and Mr Cresswell, 39.
Ms Sweeney, 54, said she was in Tenerife when she got the latest news. "On Saturday morning I got a call saying they had two bodies. That was horrendous. I couldn't get hold of anyone to speak to. My family liaison officer then rang me to say it wasn't Peter." Ms Sweeney, of Blackpool, Lancashire, said she keeps herself going by reminding herself how "resilient" her son is. She said: "If anyone is going to get out of this alive, he will."
Shia militiamen handed the bodies of Mr Swindlehurst and Mr Cresswell to the British embassy on Friday. Ms Sweeney said: "My heart goes out to the families. What I went through this weekend was bad enough. I can't even imagine how they're feeling. I couldn't even describe what they are going through."
