CHILLING pics show the Scot accused of murder in Qatar brandishing rifles — as a pal claims he had a quick temper and was obsessed with guns.
The chum also told how Scott Forrest, 43, once boasted about paying to hire a rocket launcher in the Far East so he could “blow up” cows.
The allegations come as the oil worker sits in a jail cell in the Gulf state, where he could face the death penalty if convicted of slaying roommate Robbie Robson, 38, on an offshore rig last Monday.
Forrest’s friend claimed he saw his personality change after he left hometown Ellon, in Aberdeenshire, and started raking in huge wages while working overseas.
It’s believed that Forrest moved to Thailand, where he married a local woman and had two kids.
The mate said: “The money made Scott arrogant and big-headed. He used to boast about how he could buy whatever he wanted with his large salary.
“Guns were an obsession for him. He always went on about them and also moaned about not being allowed to have them in the UK.
“And I was shocked when he told me he had paid to blow up cows with rocket launchers while in Cambodia.” It’s believed the photos of Forrest toting guns at a shooting range were taken in Asia.
The diving specialist is alleged to have used an oxygen cylinder to batter dad-of-two Robbie to death on the Seafox Burj rig off Qatar.
And it’s claimed he stashed the body in a toilet before attacking colleague Chris Begley, 37, when he stumbled into the bloodbath.
Most read in News
Forrest’s old pals admitted they were stunned when they heard the accusations against him.
One said: “At first I thought the stories were about someone else with the same name.
“But Scott was arrogant and narcissistic and had no filter with what he would say. Other people’s feelings meant nothing to him. And he always had a short fuse.
The friend said Forrest has a home in Maud, Aberdeenshire, but did not spend much time there.
They added: “Scott was never appealing to ladies over here.
“But he would go on about how he was king over in Asia because of his money. He said he could buy any woman he wanted.”
Forrest has been kept in custody by cops in Qatar as they continue their investigations into the horror.
We told how alleged victim Robbie, of South Shields, Tyne and Wear, had become a dad for the second time shortly before the tragedy.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The other worker injured, Mr Begley, was released from hospital and is now back home in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire.
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at scoop@thesun.co.uk or call 0141 420 5200
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKynZpOke7a3jqecsKtfZ314hZByZ2lnoZbBor6Mq6CgZZ2qv6Wx0WaqnKekqXqnu9GrnKysXZzCr3nOm6qeq6OasXA%3D