Royal Marines shot by pirate as they navigate the Amazon for world record
- 10 months ago
A world record attempt by two former Royal Marines to navigate the Amazon has been postponed - after they were shot by pirates.
Intrepid ex Commando John Bathgate is seen calmly saying 'I've been shot twice' and showing a bullet's entry into his knee and out his thigh.
John, 35, and former Marine Ian 'Yan' Roberts, 34, were aiming to be the first to travel from the highest source of the Amazon - the Volcán Chimborazo glacier - to the Atlantic coast.
They were trying make the 5,128K journey to Belém in Brazil - in a mission first conceived by John's dad David, a fellow adventurer.
But they have been forced to give up their trip which started in April for now after they were attacked by an armed rum-drunk 'pirate' - who they fought off - but leaving John with two gunshot wounds.
The pair had also previously been kidnapped by villagers while travelling through Peru.
A graphic video captured after the incident shows John with bullet wounds saying "I've just been shot" to the camera, while Yan paddles him towards a local village for help.
They have now stopped the world first expedition - and hope to try again in the future.
John, from Edinburgh, served in the Royal Marines for eight years and is now a rope access technician.
He said: "Everyone had told us before that when people were drunk, that's when people get shot or stabbed - and the 'pirate' was blatantly drunk.
"When I was hit, there was very little pain. I was incredibly lucky though.
''The shot went through my knee, up through the full length of my thigh and just past my hip.
"It was very lucky I missed an artery, bone or anything. There was very little pain and bleeding - the one through my shoulder was very similar.
''It just felt like a jolt, but one that reverberated through my whole body. It all lasted probably a minute at most.
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.
The pair say they were 'abducted' twice on their journey by villagers unfamiliar and afraid of 'face peelers' - human organ harvesters who attacked the villages in the last 50 years.
Yan, from Exeter, Devon, served in the Marines for 11 years and now works in security and property management.
Thankfully, despite being shot twice, John survived the ordeal and the pair were helped by the nearby villagers.
Intrepid ex Commando John Bathgate is seen calmly saying 'I've been shot twice' and showing a bullet's entry into his knee and out his thigh.
John, 35, and former Marine Ian 'Yan' Roberts, 34, were aiming to be the first to travel from the highest source of the Amazon - the Volcán Chimborazo glacier - to the Atlantic coast.
They were trying make the 5,128K journey to Belém in Brazil - in a mission first conceived by John's dad David, a fellow adventurer.
But they have been forced to give up their trip which started in April for now after they were attacked by an armed rum-drunk 'pirate' - who they fought off - but leaving John with two gunshot wounds.
The pair had also previously been kidnapped by villagers while travelling through Peru.
A graphic video captured after the incident shows John with bullet wounds saying "I've just been shot" to the camera, while Yan paddles him towards a local village for help.
They have now stopped the world first expedition - and hope to try again in the future.
John, from Edinburgh, served in the Royal Marines for eight years and is now a rope access technician.
He said: "Everyone had told us before that when people were drunk, that's when people get shot or stabbed - and the 'pirate' was blatantly drunk.
"When I was hit, there was very little pain. I was incredibly lucky though.
''The shot went through my knee, up through the full length of my thigh and just past my hip.
"It was very lucky I missed an artery, bone or anything. There was very little pain and bleeding - the one through my shoulder was very similar.
''It just felt like a jolt, but one that reverberated through my whole body. It all lasted probably a minute at most.
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.
The pair say they were 'abducted' twice on their journey by villagers unfamiliar and afraid of 'face peelers' - human organ harvesters who attacked the villages in the last 50 years.
Yan, from Exeter, Devon, served in the Marines for 11 years and now works in security and property management.
Thankfully, despite being shot twice, John survived the ordeal and the pair were helped by the nearby villagers.