James Shortt

James Gerard Richard Shortt (born 16 September 1953), is an English Director General of the International Bodyguard Association (IBA)[1] and author of several books on military special forces and martial arts. On several occasions Shortt has been exposed by British tabloid newspapers for passing himself off as a much-decorated SAS and Parachute Regiment veteran, as well as exposing his claims to other military and nobiliary credentials.[2][3][4]

Career

Shortt has been the Director-General of the International Bodyguard Association since February 1990.[5] Shortt has authored several books dealing with military special forces units-particularly the British SAS, as well as been interviewed by other authors on military subjects. In The Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons Shortt under the alias "Seamus Shortt" is described as a "British Royal Marine (TA)" and that "Shortt has other military training as well, but details of it are still classified".[6] In Terry Whites's The SAS Fighting Techniques Handbook, Shortt is thanked by the author for his insights in close personal protection and counter-terrorism. The author also states in his acknowledgements that Shortt is a "former member of the British Parachute Regiment and Special Air Service".[7]

Published works

Controversy

On 29 January 2009, the British tabloid newspaper The Sun ran an article which stated Brian Ware, who headed the security department at the Cabinet Office, had been suspended for allowing Shortt on to the property without ensuring he had proper authorization or vetting his credentials. Shortt had been invited by Ware as a security advisor. The article revealed that Shortt had never belonged to either the Special Air Service (SAS) or the Parachute Regiment. He had only been a medic in the Territorial Army and had left within months of joining.[2] The following day The Sun quoted several other dubious claims listed on Shortt's CV, including his claim of being an Irish Baron, being made a Knight Commander of St Gregory by Pope John Paul II, as well as having a Gant d’Or ("golden gloves") in French Savate and a 9th Dan black belt in traditional Japanese Ju Jutsu from the "Dai Nihon Seibukan in Kyoto, Japan".[3] In 2016, The Daily Mail ran an article on the general subject of "Walts" (i.e. military imposters) and made reference to this incident, showing a photo of Shortt wearing an SAS beret despite never having been part of the unit.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "International Bodyguard Association - History". www.ibabodyguards.com. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  2. 1 2 Dunn, Tom Newton (29 January 2009). "Fake SAS man given Cabinet security job". The Sun. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  3. 1 2 "The Whip". The Sun. 30 Jan 2009. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  4. 1 2 Sam Tonkin (3 January 2016). "Inside the network of military vigilantes exposing 'Walter Mittys'". Mail Online. Retrieved 2016-06-01. James Shortt was exposed as a bogus SAS veteran who was used to advise on Cabinet Office security. In his 50s when he was outed, Shortt had boasted about having served with elite military units across the world. But despite being pictured wearing berets of the SAS and the Paras, he belonged to neither. In fact, he was a medic in the Territorial Army who left within months. Shortt’s exposure in 2009 created a storm when it emerged he was allowed access to the highly sensitive government building to advise on Cabinet Office security.
  5. ↑ "I.B.A. Deutschland - International Bodyguard Association". www.iba-deutschland.de. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Lewis, Jack; Campbell, Robert K; Steele, David (2007). "The Combat Training Team". The Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons (7th, illustrated, revised ed.). Gun Digest. p. 129. ISBN 0-89689-498-3.
  7. ↑ White, Terry (2007). "Acknowledgements". The SAS Fighting Techniques Handbook (revised ed.). Globe Pequot. p. vii. ISBN 1-59921-081-9.
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