Former Royal Marine shot by pirate in Amazon

A former Royal Marine has told how he fought off pirates who shot him twice during an expedition in South America.

John Bathgate, from Midlothian, says he and a team mate disarmed two assailants and paddled to safety in a Peruvian village.

The veteran was attempting to travel 3,186 miles (5,128km) along the Amazon river when the attack happened.

He said he was very lucky the bullets went clean through his shoulder and leg.

The challenging adventure- from the river's highest source at Volcán Chimborazo in Ecuador to the Atlantic Ocean- took a dramatic turn when the two men were ambushed by pirates close to the Colombian border.

The pair had been hoping to raise awareness of environmental issues and the connection between mental health and spending time outdoors with charity Summit to Sea.

Mr Bathgate is at home in Midlothian recovering from his ordeal

Mr Bathgate told BBC Scotland News that he and fellow marine, Ian 'Yan' Roberts were paddling along the river in two canoes, which they had attached together to make a catamaran, when a boat approached them from behind.

He said: "This boat comes up on our stern and stops a couple of times to check us out, I guess, it eventually comes up alongside us.

"After maybe five to seven minutes of conversation, he produced a pistol. My friend Yan basically thrust his paddle into the guys chest before he could aim at one of us."

A tussle ensued which resulted in him being shot twice.

One bullet went through his shoulder and the other went along his thigh muscle and exited below his hip. The marine said he felt a "jolt" through his body and knew he had been shot.

"I was very lucky with this shot, it wasn't painful and it went straight through. I was able to use my body basically like nothing happened," he said.

He said his marine training kicked in and the men worked to disarm and capsize their two attackers. They then paddled to a nearby Peruvian village where members of the Peruvian military treated Mr Bathgate's wounds.

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Now safely back at home, his attention has turned to recovering and returning to finish their expedition.

He said he had been "incredibly fortunate" and his recovery was going "very well", but he remains unable to use his bicep.

He believes he gets his adventurous spirit from his father who visited the climbed a region of the Peruvian Andes and paddled the Amazon in 1968.

Peruvian marines provided medical assistance to Mr Bathgate

The ex-marine said: "It feels really nice to reassure family and friends, however it's frustrating. It means we're back to square one again and it's going to be a lot of planning and stress to get back out there. What we really want to do is finish this expedition so there's mixed feelings about being back.

"The Peruvian people are fantastic. This was an isolated and on the whole they're very hospitable and very nice people. We can't wait to go back and meet all of our Peruvian friends."

The pair hope to return to the South American country within 12 months to finish the expedition.