Soldier's inquest criticises MoD

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A coroner has criticised the Ministry of Defence for making the family of a soldier shot dead in Iraq "fight every step of the way" to get information.

Corporal John Johnston Cosby, 28, of 1st Battalion The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, died on 16 July 2006.

Shot in the head during a fire fight with insurgents in Basra, Cpl Cosby was killed by a British bullet - possibly from an assault weapon.

The Oxfordshire coroner said the Cosby family lawyers "fought for documents".

[The family's] legal team have had to fight every step of the way towards this inquest to have sight of documents to help them understand what had happened. Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker

Earlier, the inquest heard fragments of ammunition removed from Cpl Cosby's skull were from a UK-made 5.56 round, probably fired from an SA80 weapon - the Army's standard combat rifle.

Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker told the inquest at Oxford Old Assizes on Friday: "Corporal Cosby, like so many before him, lost his life during a terrorist attack all the more tragic as he fell under fire from British soldiers.

"I have no doubt that his loss will be keenly felt by his family, those he worked with and all those who knew him.

"If this were not enough in itself to bear, they and their legal team have had to fight every step of the way towards this inquest to have sight of documents to help them understand what had happened.

"I would have thought that it would not be necessary yet again to draw attention to the fact that at the heart of this inquest, and every inquest, there is a grieving family who simply want to understand what happened."

Evacuated by helicopter

At a previous hearing Cpl Dean Newark, of the Royal Anglian Regiment - who had been leading 12 men from his platoon to search a house when he was fired upon - said he initially had no idea he could have been responsible for the shooting.

Cpl Newark maintained it was no more than a "possibility".

The strike team, which Cpl Cosby was in, came under small arms fire as they searched a premises containing a huge cache of weapons and explosives, the inquest had heard.

The Belfast-born soldier from Exeter, Devon, was evacuated from the area by helicopter but later died as a result of his injuries at a British military hospital.

The officer who commanded the operation, Maj Mark Nooney, said there was initially no suggestion that he had died as a result of "friendly fire".

However, he said a month later he was told by military investigators that the round which caused the fatal injury matched the weapon used by Cpl Newark.

The hearing continues.