Heartbroken dad from Channel 4’s Who Dares Wins says SAS trials have helped him cope with son’s friendly fire death

BRAVE Efrem Brynin battled through the Ecuadorian jungle on Monday night’s SAS: Who Dares Wins – but his toughest trial came when he had to look into the eyes of the man who gunned down his beloved son James in “friendly fire”.

Sales director Efrem, who is the oldest contestant at 44 years old, had viewers in tears on the gruelling Channel 4 show, as he told how he had joined the show in memory of his heroic son James.

He told The Sun how Who Dares Wins has been a “good distraction” and a “positive thing” for dealing with his grief – and it has helped him feel closer to James.

He said: “We knew each other very well, but we didn’t know James in a professional way so the show enabled me to get a bit more perspective, of how he felt, how he would have gone about his business and the emotions involved.

“I always feel like he’s part of me. He’ll always be with me. James wasn’t just my son, he was one of the best friends I had and will ever have.”

Lance Corporal James Brynin, 22, was shot dead in Afghanistan on October 15 in 2013 by Corporal of Horse Mark Kelly, who said he believed his target was a Taliban insurgent.

An inquest into James’ death was adjourned earlier this year, and the Ministry Of Defence is deciding whether James’ shooting should be prosecuted as murder.

Efrem explained: “He was on his second tour of Afghanistan. He was part of the brigade reconnaissance force.

“They worked with the snipers listening in to intelligence and analysing where the enemy are.

“As the operation had ended and they were withdrawing, they came under fire, and as they retreated he was shot and killed.”

Knowing his son was shot by another British soldier has made James’ death all the harder to bear.

Efrem told The Sun: “Ultimately I’ve had to look into the face of the man who killed him. I think you can probably imagine the emotions that stirred up.”

Asked whether he can ever forgive his son’s killer, Efrem replied: “Ultimately, I think it’s easier to forgive someone if you feel they are genuinely sorry and I’ll leave it at that.”

James’ death was so heroic, he was posthumously awarded a MiD (Mention in Despatches) medal for gallantry by the Queen. He had already won a NATO Award and two medals for his two tours of Afghanistan.

Talking about collecting his son’s medal with his James’ mother, his wife Sharon 43, and their daughter Yasmin, 24, he said: “It’s a big deal and a real soldiering award that started off in the First World War. It was for James’ choice to stay and provide cover while others were able to get away. That act lead to his death and helped others live.

“You can never take that away from him now. If we look across what we have achieved as human beings, there are very few of us who have put our lives on the line and died so others can live.”

He added: “It was wonderful but it was equally quite difficult. It was mixed feelings, an awful amount of pride and sorrow as well and he would have really liked that. It was difficult not to share it him.”

James was due to be promoted when he was shot dead and Efrem is angry the MoD has not honoured his promotion.

He said: “He had been selected for promotion as a Corporal and when he came back he would have been a Corporal. We’ve been desperately trying to get the army to grant him that rank posthumously but they won’t which is very frustrating.”

SAS: Who Dares Wins continues on Channel 4, Mondays at 9pm.