My Father the Mercenary

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First Broadcast: Fri 26 June 2009

Philip Sessarego was a soldier of fortune who had fought in 80s Afghanistan, taken part in a coup in the Maldives and trained the Sri Lankan army. In 1993, he walked out on his family and was, apparently, killed soon after.

His daughter, Claire, was just 14 years old at the time. She thought she'd never see him again but, much to the family's astonishment, he appeared on television in 2001, using an assumed name, as an expert pundit on the mujahaddin.

Then, in November 2008, a body was found decomposing in a garage in the Belgian city of Antwerp and, using DNA samples taken from Claire, the corpse was confirmed as that of her father.

This emotional film, directed by James Ross, follows Claire and her brother Paul, as they travel from their home in Hereford (home of the SAS) to Belgium to collect their father's remains, and to uncover the extraordinary story of who he was and how he died.

  1. All Episodes

    1. My Father the Mercenary Fri 26 Jun 2009

      Philip Sessarego was a soldier of fortune who had fought in 80s Afghanistan, taken part in a coup in the Maldives and…

      • This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
      • 15 days left

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