Claims of heroism during the Balkans war by former mercenary Kirk Davies,from Selby, who was shot dead by police earlier this week, were "complete fantasy", it was claimed today.

The Croatian International Volunteers Association, a group of Balkans' veterans based in Britain, said Mr Davies's claims that he had killed 46 Serbs were "all made up" - and that far from being a hero, he became a liability.

"He never killed anyone," said David Kington, secretary of the association, which is helping police with their investigation into last Sunday's shooting near a Wakefield psychiatric hospital.

Using Croatian Army files and eye-witness reports, its researchers checked Mr Davies's claims and do not believe a word of his story.

Mr Kington, himself a veteran of the conflict, said Mr Davies, from Selby, spent only 11 days on the front line - and that was during a lull in fighting while soldiers from both sides were awaiting the arrival of United Nations troops.

Mr Kington, who was wounded during ferocious fighting in 1991 in the former Yugoslavia, told the Evening Press today: "Kirk Davies was a man under a lot of psychiatric strain and I'm afraid it was all made up.

"He was on the front line in Eastern Slavonia for 11 days on guard duty at a time when Croatian civilians were returning to their homes to repair their damaged properties.

"There were occasional exchanges of machine-gun fire, but that was about it. He didn't see any atrocities.

"There was one incident when he started shooting a Kalashnikov in the direction of the enemy when he was helping to move ammunition.

"If the enemy had returned fire, it could have been disastrous. Kirk was admonished and removed from the front line and put in a reserve company.

We want to put the record straight - and the truth is he became a liability."

Mr Kington claimed that while 20 soldiers were fighting at the front, Mr Davies could regularly be found in a bar five miles away talking to journalists about his exploits.

He said that in April 1992, Mr Davies was dishonourably discharged from the Croatian Army.