Simon Mann is a British mercenary and former British Army officer. He had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea for his role in a failed coup d'etat in 2004, before receiving a presidential pardon on humanitarian grounds in November 2009. Simon Mann is a British mercenary and former British Army officer. He had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea for his role in a failed coup d'etat in 2004, before receiving a presidential pardon on humanitarian grounds in November 2009.