About the Book

Tony Loughran’s life has been, and still is, all about risk – taking it, preventing it. It began as he learnt to survive a tough childhood in the mean streets of working-class Liverpool where heavy drinking, violence and crime ruled. To escape, he joined the navy, where he excelled as he never had at school. He became an elite commando medic, a demanding role that required doctor-level training: there was little Tony could not diagnose and deal with. He hurled himself into ferociously challenging training with the men he was serving. He witnessed serious physical injury and a stint in Belfast left permanent psychological scars.  

His life changed when he was contacted by the BBC with a compelling offer: looking after safety and security. In his years with the world-famous broadcaster ‘Mr D and D’ Death and Destruction, as he became known, revolutionised the protective gear and strategies used particularly by foreign correspondents and introduced ground-breaking and life-saving hostile environment training. He also, among much else, provided the security for the notorious Martin Bashir interview with Princess Diana and protected Panorama journalists in Northern Ireland.  

A new life in Australia and the establishment of his own security consultancy company business, ZeroRisk International, brought many more edge-of-the-seat adventures – investigating the deaths of well-known journalist John Schofield and cameraman Nazeh Darwazeh, providing security for the 2004 Athens Olympics, rescuing journalists in peril, helping to hunt down infamous drug lord Tony Mokbel, escaping when he himself came extremely close to capture in Kabul and getting people out of Afghanistan when the Taliban returned. He has also been involved in important environmental initiatives and in work with parents and children.  

This page-turning, hard-to-put down account of an extraordinary career is full of nail-biting excitement, engaging humour and brutal honesty. After you read Zero Risk, the world will never seem quite the same.