Reginald Keys, the father of British soldier Lance Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20, who was killed in Iraq, appears to threaten to hang himself from a mast by Brighton's West Pier during the Labour party conference in Brighton, September 28, 2004. Keys, whose son was murdered along with five other Royal Military Policemen in a police station near Basra in June 2003, staged his protest against the war in Iraq as Prime Minister Tony Blair gave his keynote speech to delegates. REUTERS/Gerry Penny

Reginald Keys, the father of British soldier Lance Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20, who was killed in Iraq, appears to threaten to hang himself from a mast by Brighton's West Pier during the Labour party conference in Brighton, September 28, 2004. Keys, whose son was killed along with five other Royal Military Policemen in a police station near Basra in June 2003, staged his protest against the war in Iraq as Prime Minister Tony Blair gave his keynote speech to delegates. REUTERS/Gerry Penny

Reginald Keys, the father of British soldier Lance Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20, who was killed in Iraq, appears to threaten to hang himself from a mast by Brighton's West Pier during the Labour party conference in Brighton, September 28, 2004. Keys, whose son was killed along with five other Royal Military Policemen in a police station near Basra in June 2003, staged his protest against the war in Iraq as Prime Minister Tony Blair gave his keynote speech to delegates. REUTERS/Gerry Penny

Suicide threat by father of dead soldier
By Nigel Morris
29 September 2004

A father threatened to hang himself on Brighton seafront yesterday in protest over his son's death in Iraq.

As Tony Blair delivered his conference speech, Reginald Keys climbed a 30ft pylon holding a banner reading: "Lives hang in the balance. Blair lied while 65 died. Troops out."

Mr Keys, who had a noose around his neck, shouted to on-lookers that he would kill himself unless he received an apology from the Prime Minister over the death of his 20-year-old son, L/Cpl Thomas Richard Keys.

Police negotiators, with climbing teams on standby, managed to coax the man down after an hour. Before being put into an ambulance, he said: "Blair sent my son to war for weapons of mass destruction.

"I waved him goodbye and Tom went with his head held high. That has proved to be a lie. My son died because of Blair.

"I was up there with a noose around my neck and a mobile phone in my pocket and Blair still wouldn't ring me. He won't say he's sorry, he just says he regrets what has happened."

L/Cpl Keys, from Llanuwchllyn in north Wales, was among seven Royal Military Police killed when a mob stormed a police station in Majar al-Kabir, about 100 miles north of Basra, in June last year.

The British death toll in Iraq totalled 68 yesterday after a military convoy was ambushed south-west of Basra, killing two British soldiers. The incident happened just hours after Mr Blair's keynote speech.

Father threatens suicide in protest at soldier's death
By Sally Pook and Charles Clover
(Filed: 29/09/2004)

The father of a soldier killed in Iraq threatened to hang himself on the West Pier in Brighton yesterday, moments before Tony Blair's speech at the Labour Party conference.

Reginald Keys climbed a pylon at the front of the pier with a noose tied around his neck and told police he would jump.

He called the Prime Minister a war criminal and demanded an apology for the death of his son, Lance-Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20, who was killed near Basra in June last year.

Mr Keys, 52, from Bala, north Wales, was persuaded to climb down after an hour and, clearly distraught, was comforted by police officers.

His son, a military policeman serving with 156 Provost Company, was manning a small police station in the town of Al Majar Al Kabir, 120 miles north of Basra, with five others when he was shot dead.

The six men were helping to restore order in the area but it is believed they were ambushed and attacked by a mob loyal to Saddam Hussein. They took cover in the police station but were surrounded by the gunmen.

The deaths caused revulsion in Britain following claims they were not killed in open combat but executed by their attackers. At the time, it was the largest single loss of life suffered by the Army in one day since the first Gulf war in 1991.

Speaking after his protest, Mr Keys said it had brought back "the horrors of losing Tom". He added: "I had no intention of committing suicide. It was a test to Blair.

"I waved goodbye to my son, who had his chin held high, who thought he was defending his country. But Blair lied to the nation, to me and to my son. No weapons of mass destruction have been found. He got into the war over oil and I want him to apologise."

He claims the six military policemen were left to face the mob without adequate equipment or communications. He claims they were stripped of grenades and other munitions and had only 20 to 50 rounds of ammunition each.

Mr Keys said: "I believed Tony Blair's lies and deceit. My son received 31 bullet wounds because of that deceit.

"I have had three letters from Blair saying he regrets the death of my son but he refuses to apologise. The man has clearly got it wrong. Two more servicemen died today. I want him to apologise. I want him to bring the troops home."

Mr Keys said he wept after police officers persuaded him to climb down because he felt so emotional. "It was a very emotional moment," he said. "It brought back all the horrors of losing Tom."

Police said Mr Keys was taken to hospital and later discharged.