Terry Lloyd facts for kids

Terence Ellis "Terry" Lloyd (born 21 November 1952 – died 22 March 2003) was an English TV journalist. He was well-known for reporting from the Middle East. Terry Lloyd was sadly killed by the U.S. military while reporting on the 2003 invasion of Iraq for ITN. A special hearing in the UK later decided that his death was an unlawful killing.

Terry Lloyd's Early Life

Terry Lloyd was born in Derby, Derbyshire, England. He started his career working for a local news agency. Later, he became a TV reporter for regional channels like ATV and Central Television. In 1983, he joined ITN, a major news company. His father, Ellis Aled Lloyd, was a police officer. He died in an accident in 1970 when he was 46. Terry was also the brother of TV actor Kevin Lloyd. His nephew, James Lloyd, is also an actor.

Terry Lloyd's Reporting Career

Terry Lloyd was a brave and important journalist. In 1988, he was the first to report a shocking story. He revealed that Saddam Hussein had used chemical weapons in an attack in Halabja. This terrible event killed 5,000 Kurds. In 1999, he made history again. He became the first foreign journalist to enter Kosovo during a conflict there.

How Terry Lloyd Died

Terry Lloyd died on 22 March 2003. He was reporting from Iraq during the 2003 invasion of Iraq for ITN. He was working as an independent reporter. This meant he was not "embedded" with the military forces. Terry and his team, which included two cameramen and an interpreter, were near the Shatt Al Basra Bridge in Basra. They got caught in crossfire between U.S. and Iraqi forces.

Terry's body and that of his interpreter, Hussein Osman, were found. It was later discovered they had been shot by U.S. forces. One of his cameramen, Frédéric Nérac from France, is still missing. He is believed to have died. The other cameraman, Daniel Demoustier from Belgium, survived. Terry Lloyd's funeral was shown on ITN news.

Looking Into What Happened

The Royal Military Police (RMP) looked into Terry Lloyd's death. Major Kay Roberts, an RMP investigator, said something important. She told a special hearing that a video of the event was edited. This video was taken by a cameraman with the U.S. unit. About 15 minutes were cut from the start of the recording. Major Roberts said she was told the U.S. authorities gave them "everything they had."

The ITN team was driving in two cars. Both cars were clearly marked as press vehicles. Frédéric Nérac and Hussein Osman were in the car behind Terry Lloyd and Daniel Demoustier. They met an Iraqi group of vehicles near the Shatt Al Basra Bridge. Nérac and Osman were taken out of their car. They were made to get into an Iraqi vehicle. The investigation found that this Iraqi group was with a local leader. American forces shot at the Iraqi vehicles, and Osman was killed. Nérac's body was never found, and it's thought he did not survive.

Demoustier and Lloyd were still in their ITN car. They were caught in the crossfire between the Iraqi Republican Guard and American forces. Lloyd was hit by an Iraqi bullet. He could have survived this injury. He was then put into a civilian minibus that had stopped to help. Evidence showed that U.S. forces shot at the minibus. This happened after it turned to leave the area. Terry Lloyd was killed instantly by these shots. Demoustier survived the incident.

The Special Hearing (Inquest)

A special hearing, called an inquest, was held in October 2006. It lasted eight days. On 13 October 2006, the official in charge, Andrew Walker, announced the decision. He said Terry Lloyd's death was an unlawful killing by the U.S. military. He also said he would ask the Director of Public Prosecutions to look into bringing charges.

Andrew Walker officially cleared ITN of any blame for Terry's death. He believed that the U.S. tanks were the first to shoot at the ITN cars. However, he also said he couldn't be sure if the bullets that killed Lloyd were from U.S. ground forces or helicopters. Terry Lloyd "would probably have survived the first [Iraqi] bullet wound." But he was killed while being carried away in the civilian minibus. Walker said: "If the vehicle was seen as a threat, it would have been fired on before it did a U-turn." He believed the Americans fired because the vehicle stopped to pick up survivors. The National Union of Journalists said Terry Lloyd's killing was a war crime.

On 25 October 2006, Liberal Democrats leader Sir Menzies Campbell asked about the case in Parliament. He asked when the Attorney-General would try to bring the American soldiers to trial in Britain.

On 19 March 2007, the BBC reported that ITN had shared the names of the 16 U.S. Marines involved. Even with the finding of unlawful killing, the Crown Prosecution Service decided in July 2008 that there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute those who killed Lloyd.