Youths beat Iraq war veteran to death outside French nightclub

A former soldier has been beaten to death by a gang of youths outside a nightclub in the French city of Cannes.

Lee Fisher is said to have died from "multiple blows to the head" after getting into a fight with a group of locals.

The 37-year-old was one of three Britons in Cannes working for design consultancy firm Lea International at the Tax Free World trade show.

Married Mr Fisher, who was working as a labourer and lived in the SouthEast, had previously served in the Territorial Army and did a tour in Iraq.

Ian Lea, managing director at Lea International, said: "He had been working for us off and on for the last eight years. He was a labourer, big and strong. He was a very pleasant and hard-working guy. He was due to return home yesterday, that was the plan."

Mr Lea said Mr Fisher's two colleagues at Lea International, which specialises in the design, build and project management of exhibitions, were "traumatised" over his death.

The local Nice-Matin newspaper said Mr Fisher was killed after he and the other two Britons began arguing with three young Frenchmen in the street.

It said: "It seemed most of them had been drinking heavily. The argument came to blows and the victim was struck repeatedly in the face. The emergency services suspected he died at the scene from internal bleeding."

The newspaper said three Frenchmen were arrested.