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comments8 July 1996
The Sun
Chris Pharo and Antonella Lazzeri
Exclusive; Sex-mad army days of turncoat hunted for barracks attack;Terror bomb ex-squaddie only cared about birds and boozing
EX-SQUADDIE Michael Dickson bedded hundreds of women during his wild, boozy days in the Army. Dickson-now suspected of leading an IRA mortar attack on his old comrades-squandered his pay picking up girls in nightclubs or hiring prostitutes.
Former pals told last night how the Royal Engineers sapper was constantly in debt-and even dabbled in drug dealing to fund his craving for sex.
One former soldier who served with Dickson, 31, in Germany said: ``No one in the regiment could compete with his boozing and womanising. ``He was only a short lad but really muscular and women would fall at his feet. He was born in a military hospital in Germany because his dad was serving in the Army there. So he grew up able to speak fluent German and used it to full effect with the girls. ``On average he would score twice a week with local girls and some weeks it was every night. ``I saw him with hundreds of girls over a time and he told us he bedded the lot.''
Dickson, of 44 Field Support Squadron of the 35 Royal Engineers, was in the Army from 1981 to 1988. German police named him over the IRA's mortar attack launched from a truck on Quebec Barracks, Osnabruck, ten days ago.
Dickson's 33-year-old pal remembers him as a happy-go-lucky type who loved clubs such as Hanover's Disco Duck, the Biatso in Hamelin and Munich nightspots. He said: ``We'd club until 4am and then go on to the Breakfast Bar in Hamelin and carrying on drinking.
Skint
``But he spent so much money on clubbing and partying he was always skint. He was in massive debt and he bounced cheques.''
Another ex-soldier told how ``Dicksy'', a Catholic whose family came from Glasgow, spent weekend leaves visiting Amsterdam's red-light districts. He said: ``Dicksy would blow all the wages he had saved up while on exercise-about Pounds 1,500-on women. ``He would come back and brag about how many tarts he'd been with. His biggest score was five in one day. ``He was obsessed by prostitutes. In all the time I knew him I never saw him with a steady girlfriend.''
The pal, who served with Dickson for five years, added: ``Dicksy never had any money. He was always spending it on birds and booze. ``To make extra money he brought dope from Amsterdam and sold it to squaddies. He reckoned it was easy to smuggle it in.'' The 36-year-old ex-soldier said Dickson was ``one of the most popular guys in the squad.'' He added: ``He was always cracking jokes and taking the mickey out of the sergeant-major.
Drunk
``I lost count of the times he was given extra duties for being cheeky to a senior officer. ``He was useless at discipline. He used to turn up drunk for parade.'' The pal trusted Dickson enough to let him babysit for his three-year-old son. He said: ``He was magic with kids. My son adored him. Dicksy used to get on the floor and play with his cars and trains. ``He even played Santa for the kids at a Christmas party in the mess one year. ``We used to go for days out in the mountains in Germany and I can remember him tobogganing with my son.''
The man's 35-year-old wife said: ``The odd thing about Dicksy was that he never talked about his family or personal life. ``Some of the lads would confide in me about their girlfriend problems. But he was very secretive.''
One pal recalled how Dickson even managed to turn punishment duties into fun. He said: ``We were in trouble once for boozing and were on mess duty looking after the officers. ``We went into a back room and found cabinets full of trophies. Dicksy got down all the cups for skiing and football and posed for photos with them.''
Brawl
Celtic supporter Dickson was arrested by German police over a brawl during the European Soccer Championships in June 1988. It happened after he met Britain's most notorious soccer thug, Nottingham Forest fan Paul Scarrott, in Stuttgart. A pal said: ``Dicksy went to see England play Ireland. He told me Scarrott was a great bloke, a real laugh, and he seemed really impressed with him. ``They got involved in a brawl with Irish fans after Scarrott started baiting them. ``Dicksy hurled a bottle at them and was arrested. ``But the police let him out of the cells after a few hours and told him to clear off because he was a squaddie.''
The former pal added: ``All the lads adored Dicksy. He reminded me of the character Dave Tucker in Soldier Soldier on TV. ``Whenever I see that programme I tell everyone, `That's Dicksy'.''
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The Sun
Chris Pharo and Antonella Lazzeri
Exclusive; Sex-mad army days of turncoat hunted for barracks attack;Terror bomb ex-squaddie only cared about birds and boozing
TOPIC: MICHAEL DICKSON-SUSPECT IN IRA MORTAR ATTACK
EX-SQUADDIE Michael Dickson bedded hundreds of women during his wild, boozy days in the Army. Dickson-now suspected of leading an IRA mortar attack on his old comrades-squandered his pay picking up girls in nightclubs or hiring prostitutes.
Former pals told last night how the Royal Engineers sapper was constantly in debt-and even dabbled in drug dealing to fund his craving for sex.
One former soldier who served with Dickson, 31, in Germany said: ``No one in the regiment could compete with his boozing and womanising. ``He was only a short lad but really muscular and women would fall at his feet. He was born in a military hospital in Germany because his dad was serving in the Army there. So he grew up able to speak fluent German and used it to full effect with the girls. ``On average he would score twice a week with local girls and some weeks it was every night. ``I saw him with hundreds of girls over a time and he told us he bedded the lot.''
Dickson, of 44 Field Support Squadron of the 35 Royal Engineers, was in the Army from 1981 to 1988. German police named him over the IRA's mortar attack launched from a truck on Quebec Barracks, Osnabruck, ten days ago.
Dickson's 33-year-old pal remembers him as a happy-go-lucky type who loved clubs such as Hanover's Disco Duck, the Biatso in Hamelin and Munich nightspots. He said: ``We'd club until 4am and then go on to the Breakfast Bar in Hamelin and carrying on drinking.
Skint
``But he spent so much money on clubbing and partying he was always skint. He was in massive debt and he bounced cheques.''
Another ex-soldier told how ``Dicksy'', a Catholic whose family came from Glasgow, spent weekend leaves visiting Amsterdam's red-light districts. He said: ``Dicksy would blow all the wages he had saved up while on exercise-about Pounds 1,500-on women. ``He would come back and brag about how many tarts he'd been with. His biggest score was five in one day. ``He was obsessed by prostitutes. In all the time I knew him I never saw him with a steady girlfriend.''
The pal, who served with Dickson for five years, added: ``Dicksy never had any money. He was always spending it on birds and booze. ``To make extra money he brought dope from Amsterdam and sold it to squaddies. He reckoned it was easy to smuggle it in.'' The 36-year-old ex-soldier said Dickson was ``one of the most popular guys in the squad.'' He added: ``He was always cracking jokes and taking the mickey out of the sergeant-major.
Drunk
``I lost count of the times he was given extra duties for being cheeky to a senior officer. ``He was useless at discipline. He used to turn up drunk for parade.'' The pal trusted Dickson enough to let him babysit for his three-year-old son. He said: ``He was magic with kids. My son adored him. Dicksy used to get on the floor and play with his cars and trains. ``He even played Santa for the kids at a Christmas party in the mess one year. ``We used to go for days out in the mountains in Germany and I can remember him tobogganing with my son.''
The man's 35-year-old wife said: ``The odd thing about Dicksy was that he never talked about his family or personal life. ``Some of the lads would confide in me about their girlfriend problems. But he was very secretive.''
One pal recalled how Dickson even managed to turn punishment duties into fun. He said: ``We were in trouble once for boozing and were on mess duty looking after the officers. ``We went into a back room and found cabinets full of trophies. Dicksy got down all the cups for skiing and football and posed for photos with them.''
Brawl
Celtic supporter Dickson was arrested by German police over a brawl during the European Soccer Championships in June 1988. It happened after he met Britain's most notorious soccer thug, Nottingham Forest fan Paul Scarrott, in Stuttgart. A pal said: ``Dicksy went to see England play Ireland. He told me Scarrott was a great bloke, a real laugh, and he seemed really impressed with him. ``They got involved in a brawl with Irish fans after Scarrott started baiting them. ``Dicksy hurled a bottle at them and was arrested. ``But the police let him out of the cells after a few hours and told him to clear off because he was a squaddie.''
The former pal added: ``All the lads adored Dicksy. He reminded me of the character Dave Tucker in Soldier Soldier on TV. ``Whenever I see that programme I tell everyone, `That's Dicksy'.''
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