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UK personnel 'unlawfully killed' UK personnel 'unlawfully killed'
(10 minutes later)
Four UK military personnel were unlawfully killed in Iraq when their boat was hit by an explosive device, the Oxford coroner has ruled.Four UK military personnel were unlawfully killed in Iraq when their boat was hit by an explosive device, the Oxford coroner has ruled.
The troops were on the Shatt al-Arab River, near Basra, in November 2006 when the bomb on a bridge exploded.The troops were on the Shatt al-Arab River, near Basra, in November 2006 when the bomb on a bridge exploded.
The deaths may have been avoided if the boat had a device stopping such bombs detonating, the coroners' court heard.The deaths may have been avoided if the boat had a device stopping such bombs detonating, the coroners' court heard.
Warrant Officer Lee Hopkins, Staff Sergeant Sharron Elliott, Corporal Ben Nowak and Marine Jason Hylton all died.Warrant Officer Lee Hopkins, Staff Sergeant Sharron Elliott, Corporal Ben Nowak and Marine Jason Hylton all died.
'Serious failure'
Coroner Andrew Walker said that if the Royal Marines' vessel had been fitted with an electronic counter measure (ECM) it was "more likely than not" that the device would not have gone off.
He also told the court that the bridge had not been searched before the boat passed underneath, which he said amounted to "a really serious failure to follow basic procedure".
Recording verdicts of unlawful killing, he said: "This was an entirely avoidable incident if the basic principles [of military training] had been followed.
"A vulnerable point [in this case the bridge] should not be crossed unless a search of the point has been carried out."