19 August 2023 , 08:25
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A former Royal Marine has revealed details of his desperate near-death struggle with Amazon pirates who shot him twice while he attempted to secure a world record.
Ex-Commando John Bathgate and his pal, another former Marine, Ian 'Yan' Roberts were aiming to be the first to travel from the highest source of the Amazon - the Volc n Chimborazo glacier - to the Atlantic coast. During this epic feat, their trip took a turn for the worst.
As they were approaching the Colombian border in their rowing boat, the pair were ambushed and held at gunpoint by two Peruvian pirates. a struggle ensued, during which shots were fired by the pirates, with John beingf struck twice by bullets. He does not remember if it was the force of the bullet or instinct that made him dive from the pirate boat into the waters of the Amazon, but he remembers exactly what he thought when the second shot ripped through his leg.
John Bathgate and Ian 'Yan' Roberts after the attack (John Bathgate / SWNS)Using just his own strength and the oars from the boat, he attempted to drown his would-be killer by forcing his head under the water. John told the MailOnline: "I thought, 'This isn't going to happen again.' I needed to act. I felt my way down his arm and it was the one with the weapon in it and I could twist it out of his hand. In that process, two more shots were fired."
Incredibly, John survived the ordeal with a video from the aftermath showing his two gunshot wounds. Despite being wholly outgunned the brave duo defeated the pirates and managed to make a dash to land for safety. They even managed to get the pirates arrested for armed robbery.
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"So, the way we see it is their plan was probably to shoot us, take our things and hide the evidence. People do go missing there every now and again", John told the publication. He said they had planned for "this kind of thing" to happen and knew the first thing they had to do in that eventuality was capsize the criminal's boat.
Peruvian Navy soldiers treat John Bathgate (Ian 'Yan' Roberts / SWNS)He explained that it was around 8 am on July 30 when they noticed two scary-looking men sailing closer and closer. John said they had a "blank, dark and heavy-lidded" look in their eyes." The pirates were trying to engage in conversation and after a short while the Brits made their excuses and said they needed to leave. It was at that moment one of the pirates held onto the back of their boat and pulled the weapon from his shorts.
After John was shot in the water, he realised he needed to surface "but because the guy has got the high ground, he could just be waiting for me to shoot me in the head." He chose the far side of the boat and, as his head broke the water, he saw Ian and the pirate grappling over the side of the boat. John continued: "I saw that and grabbed the guy and pushed him under the water – and that has then capsized their boat as well."
John was inspired by his dad David, now 82, who in 1968 was mountain climbing in the Andes and wanted to follow the entirety of the Amazon's route. Unfortunately, he never got round to planning this expedition, instead climbing Everest with Chris Bonington in 1972 - but John wanted to take on the trip.
John and Ian 'Yan' had hoped to fundraise for the Royal Marines Charity, Rainforest Concern, along with several other mental-health charities such as RV One. The journey, sponsored by outdoor company Tiso, would have carried them a record-breaking 5128km. Instead, they were stopped around 200 km from the Brazilian border.
Ultimately the two were rescued by a Peruvian naval gunboat and taken to Iquitos where the injured Scot spent six days recovering. They have now stopped the world first expedition and are back home recovering - but hope to try again in the future.