An inquest into the death of a former soldier at the Australian embassy in Iraq has heard a man in the room when he died was a ‘loose cannon’.

November 6, 2019

A former commando who saw a colleague shoot himself in the head after a drinking session at the Australian embassy in Iraq was a “loose cannon”, an inquest has heard.

Christopher Betts, 34, was a private security contractor at the Baghdad embassy when he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on May 12, 2016.

He died after a night of drinking with fellow contractor, Sun McKay, in the embassy living quarters, the Brisbane Coroners Court has heard.

Mr McKay told investigators Mr Betts picked up his Glock 17 pistol, put it to his head while saying “it’s time to play clear or not clear”, then pulled the trigger.

One of the men Mr Betts was drinking with before he died, Benjamin Turner, told the inquest Mr Mackay once pointed an unloaded rifle at him in the same room where Mr Betts died.

“I said, ‘It’s the most f******* unprofessional thing I’ve ever seen’ and I stood up, I was agitated … then he pointed it at (Mr Betts who) sort of shrugged as if it was nothing,” he said.

“Then (Sun) fired the action.”

On the night Mr Betts died, he saw Mr McKay’s loaded pistol on a cupboard in the room where the shooting later occurred.

Contractors were instructed to keep their weapons in their rooms but generally they were unloaded and out of sight, he said.

Australian Federal Police were unable to determine if the death was caused by misadventure or suicide.

But Mr Betts’ family raised concerns about Mr Sun being in the same room and the absence of a suicide note.

“They were concerned Sun had killed Chris,” Australian Federal Police Detective Sergeant William Freeman has told the inquest.

Mr Turner said Mr McKay was a good friend but some fellow contractors regarded him as “a bit crazy”.

“Even my team leader pulled me aside once and said he was, but I guess, everyone was an ex-soldier so everyone was a bit out there anyway,” he said.

Another security contractor, Christopher Connolly, said that after the shooting Mr McKay’s version of that night’s events gradually changed to imply the death was a suicide.

“If I were to hazard a guess … he would realise he wasn’t supposed to have a loaded weapon in his room,” he said.

“He would say that Chris then loaded it … so there would be no blame on him that Chris stupidly picked up a weapon without clearing it.”

Earlier, the inquest was shown a personal text message sent to a DFAT staff member by a former security team nurse after Mr Betts was shot.

“So Sun killed him … Chris Betts would never commit suicide,” it said.

“Sun is a loose cannon … make sure (he) is drug-tested.”

The inquest continues on Wednesday.