A TV news cameraman has returned safely to his Kidderminster home after being besieged by Saddam's troops in Iraq.

Jamie Downer's brave Sky News "maverick" crew - working on their own without back-up from coalition forces - were the first to cross the border when war broke out.

And the highly dangerous nature of their task was underlined when they were among the last people to see ITV reporter Terry Lloyd alive.

During an eventful six-week spell in the Gulf, about two-and-a-half-weeks of which were spent in the thick of the action, Jamie shot dramatic battles for live broadcasts as coalition forces endeavoured to end the murderous regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. cameraman Jamie Downer checks out the latest from Sky News at his Kidderminster home.

He also feared for his life as 1,000 Iraqis rampaged into a Marines camp where the crew were resting and he later filmed one surrendering to the Sky team live on air.

The crew - two cameramen including Jamie, a reporter, engineer, two security men and an interpreter - had full combat and chemical warfare training before setting off for the Gulf.

After two weeks waiting in Kuwait they managed to be the first news crew across the border and broadcast the battle for Safwan live from the roof of a garage on a night described by Jamie's colleague, Sky reporter Ross Appleyard, as "terrifying".

The next day they met up with Mr Lloyd, a close friend of Mr Appleyard's, at a crossroads where Mr Lloyd headed for Basra and they set off towards Baghdad after being urged by security advisers it would be safer. Jamie Downer at the border of Kuwait and Iraq.

The veteran ITV man then went missing and was later confirmed as having been killed in crossfire.

"We found out quite quickly Terry was missing," said 29-year-old Jamie, relaxing at the Tabbs Gardens home he shares with his wife Helen, who he married last December.

"That affected us quite a lot.

"It highlighted how dangerous what we were doing was because he was doing the same job as us. Our security guys told us not to go towards Basra.

"Ross was best friends with Terry and I knew him to say 'hello' to."

Danger in Iraq came even closer to home for a Kidderminster cameraman when his crew spent an evening with a small group of Marines, having done several live broadcasts on the battle for Nasariyah.

"The attack lasted for about an hour," said Jamie Downer, a former King Charles I High School pupil.

"We were all lying face down and fearing for our lives. It was too dangerous for me to get up and film, although we did shoot the tail end of it.

"We were told afterwards a rocket-propelled grenade had just missed us." The Iraqis eventually withdrew.

During this incident, Jamie gave Ross Appleyard an extra scare, as the reporter explains on the Sky News website: "I could hear a series of metallic thuds from the car beside me.

"I turned around expecting to see bullets hitting the metal but found Jamie trying to burrow under the car. Unfortunately his helmet wouldn't fit and he was banging it against the sill."

Adrenaline kept Jamie going through sleepless nights and appalling conditions, with sandstorms, 100mph winds, thunderstorms, lightning and oppressive heat. Jamie Downer making new army friends in the Gulf.

"I didn't really think about the danger. We got carried away with what we were doing - you get on with it because you're there to do a job.

"You think about the danger more afterwards.

"Sometimes we joined in with military convoys to make journeys safer. Every time we started doing a live broadcast something happened.

"Things slowed down a bit when we were stuck in Nasariyah - we couldn't go any further north because it wasn't safe."

Sky bosses decided the crew deserved a rest after six weeks in the Gulf - and Jamie's first job after a week's rest saw him filming returning personnel at RAF Brize Norton on Monday.

He also saw action in Kosovo - a "more conventional war".

"This one was more unpredictable. Our biggest fear was of the Americans - they have the biggest weapons and shoot first, ask questions later."

Jamie, who works mainly around the Midlands and also covered some "hairy" riots at last summer's football World Cup in the Far East, has a sister, Lara. His mother Barbara is a part-time office worker at St Mary's Church, Kidderminster, while his father Ray runs a picture-framing business.

Jamie has formed his own opinions on the validity of the controversial war.

"The people were really friendly and glad to see us but unsure of what kind of welcome to give us because they were so scared of the regime.

"After going there I can see what sort of state the country is in. It's potentially one of the richest in the world with its oil production and 25 years ago would have been a nice place to go.

"But the regime has destroyed it."