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| L/Cpl James Ashworth killed by his own grenade, inquest finds | L/Cpl James Ashworth killed by his own grenade, inquest finds |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A soldier awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross was killed by his own grenade during an enemy attack in Afghanistan, an inquest has found. | A soldier awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross was killed by his own grenade during an enemy attack in Afghanistan, an inquest has found. |
| L/Cpl James Ashworth, from Corby, Northamptonshire, was killed as he stormed an insurgent position in Nahr-e-Saraj in Helmand Province last June. | |
| The inquest ruled he was unlawfully killed when a shot hit his body armour, detonating a grenade he was carrying. | The inquest ruled he was unlawfully killed when a shot hit his body armour, detonating a grenade he was carrying. |
| The 23-year-old was preparing to throw the grenade at an enemy sniper. | The 23-year-old was preparing to throw the grenade at an enemy sniper. |
| Anne Pember, the Northamptonshire Coroner, told the inquest at Kettering that a post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death as blast injuries caused by an explosion. | Anne Pember, the Northamptonshire Coroner, told the inquest at Kettering that a post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death as blast injuries caused by an explosion. |
| L/Cpl Ashworth, of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, died as he crawled along ground being peppered with bullets to throw his last grenade at a sniper who had his team pinned down. | L/Cpl Ashworth, of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, died as he crawled along ground being peppered with bullets to throw his last grenade at a sniper who had his team pinned down. |
| 'We'll stay strong' | 'We'll stay strong' |
| Speaking after the inquest, his mother Kerry said her son, only the second soldier to be awarded a VC for bravery in Afghanistan, had died doing the job he loved. | Speaking after the inquest, his mother Kerry said her son, only the second soldier to be awarded a VC for bravery in Afghanistan, had died doing the job he loved. |
| "His smile can light up any room he goes into and we all love and miss him so," she said. | "His smile can light up any room he goes into and we all love and miss him so," she said. |
| "James passed away doing a job he loved. At times it was a hard job but he did get to experience new countries, learn new skills and make some wonderful friends. | "James passed away doing a job he loved. At times it was a hard job but he did get to experience new countries, learn new skills and make some wonderful friends. |
| "James will be forever be in our hearts, thoughts and prayers and we will never get over his passing. | "James will be forever be in our hearts, thoughts and prayers and we will never get over his passing. |
| "But we will stay strong together as a family and along with his friends we will remain positive and celebrate his life at every opportunity as I know that is what he would want us to do." | "But we will stay strong together as a family and along with his friends we will remain positive and celebrate his life at every opportunity as I know that is what he would want us to do." |
| His commanding officer Lt Col James Bowder said he was "the bravest of soldiers, the best of men". | His commanding officer Lt Col James Bowder said he was "the bravest of soldiers, the best of men". |
| 'Kill or capture' | |
| As well as the VC, L/Cpl Ashworth had a square named after him in Corby. | |
| The coroner heard emotional testimony from comrades who were fighting alongside L/Cpl Ashworth on the day he died. | |
| His platoon commander Capt Michael Dobbin described how an operation had been ordered to "kill or capture" a skilled Taliban sniper team which had shot and wounded three British soldiers in the preceding days. | His platoon commander Capt Michael Dobbin described how an operation had been ordered to "kill or capture" a skilled Taliban sniper team which had shot and wounded three British soldiers in the preceding days. |
| After four days' planning, the insurgents were spotted near a village and the strike team, including L/Cpl Ashworth, landed in the area in two helicopters. | |
| Capt Owen Davis, a Royal Marine attached to the platoon, said that after landing under fire, aerial intelligence revealed a single insurgent had fled to a compound in the village. | |
| He told the coroner that as he and an Afghan policeman moved out around the corner of that compound to begin a search, the police officer "took a long burst of AK47 fire to his body", instantly killing him. | |
| The rifle fire was followed by a Taliban grenade, forcing Capt Davis to jump into an irrigation ditch for cover, just as it went off. |