A murder investigation has been begun in Qatar after the death of a Scottish oil rig worker on an offshore platform.
The man, thought to be a married parent, was discovered dead on the oil rig in the Persian Gulf by a coworker who is believed to have been assaulted as well.
According to reports, the deceased man was ‘bludgeoned’ with a breathing apparatus bottle before his corpse was covered in a bed sheet and hidden in a bathroom in the staff living quarters.
The suspect, from Aberdeen, was apparently about to depart on a helicopter when he was apprehended after stabbing a second man who had gone to check on a coworker.
He was brought to the hospital after suffering significant injuries.
The survivor was beaten over the head and throttled, according to workers on the rig, but he managed to flee and seek assistance.
One said: ‘Apparently, one guy battered another worker with a BA [breathing apparatus] bottle.
‘We were told he then wrapped him up in the bed sheet and put him in the bathroom. Then he went for his dinner.
‘A third guy saw him and asked how the now dead man was and said he was going to see him.
‘He followed him back to the room and then hit him over the head and started to strangle him, but he managed to escape and get help.’ Another said it was thought the man responsible had intended to try to dispose of the body by ‘throwing him overboard before getting on a chopper that night’.
All three men were Scots contractors and were employed by Ellon-based Film-Ocean, which yesterday described the incident as ‘non-work related’.
Qatari officials are interrogating the suspect and two other individuals as part of a criminal investigation into the incident on the Seafox Burj platform in the early hours of Monday. Film-Ocean, which owns and manages a fleet of remotely driven vehicles for the oil sector, has said that it is cooperating with authorities and the Foreign Office to investigate the man’s death.
Christopher Begley, of Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, was injured and sent to hospital. He was later freed and hopes to see his family soon.
Dennis, his father, claimed his son was in “complete shock” over what had occurred since he had previously been “friendly” with the suspected assailant.
He said: ‘They all work together. There’s been no animosity between any of them. This seems to be completely random. There certainly wasn’t any ill feeling among any of them so I don’t know what’s happened.
‘He never saw the body. He went into the room but he never saw the body. Basically, he got hit over the head with something.
‘I think it was a pipe. He’s fine.
Bashed in the head a bit. But he’s OK. He’s back in Scotland.’
A spokesman for Film-Ocean said: ‘We can regretfully confirm one person has been fatally wounded and another has been injured following a non-work related incident on an offshore installation off Qatar.
‘A third person has been taken into police custody. The injured worker received treatment in hos- pital but has since been released. The next of kin of those involved have been informed and the company is working to ensure they receive the appropriate support.
‘Film-Ocean is liaising with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident. The families of those involved have requested that their privacy is respected.’
The Foreign Office confirmed that the deceased man’s relatives had been notified.
A spokesman said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man who has died and a man who has been injured in Qatar.’
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