Scottish soldier shot dead as grenade he threw killed gunman

Acting Sergeant Sean Binnie, 22, from the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, died in a battle with insurgents near Musa Qala in Helmand province on 7 May last year.

Relatives travelled from Aberdeen to Trowbridge in Wiltshire to attend the inquest into his death.

Acting Sgt Binnie was taking part in a foot patrol with the Afghan National Army when he came under attack while trying to clear a compound of enemy fire.

Swindon and Wiltshire coroner David Ridley said: "Sean threw a grenade into the doorway and moved quickly back towards cover, but then collapsed."

He had been shot in the chest by an AK-47 assault rifle.

Mr Ridley added: "The fatal round was fired by enemy forces immediately before they were killed themselves by the grenade that Sean was throwing."

The bullet entered the right side of his chest through the soft part of his body armour, Trowbridge Coroner's Court heard.

Lance Corporal Duncan Milne went to his aid, but Mr Ridley said: "Even though he was being attended, in the end Sean was showing no signs of life, no pulse."

He was flown to Camp Bastion hospital, and was pronounced dead that day.

Mr Ridley recorded a verdict that Acting Sgt Binnie was unlawfully killed while on active service in Afghanistan.

The cause of death was given as a gunshot wound to the chest/ abdomen.

Acting Sgt Binnie, who was born in Dublin to Scottish parents, joined the army in 2003 and after basic training joined 3 Scots in Warminster, Wiltshire, before the battalion moved to Belfast in 2005.

He served in Iraq and the Falkland Islands before deploying to Afghanistan in March as a mentor, living and working with Afghan soldiers.

He had married Amanda, 21, months earlier, in December 2008. His mother Janette paid tribute to him outside the inquest. She said: "He set himself goals and achieved them right through.

"Sean always wanted to join the army. He always told his dad he would be a better soldier and go further than him, which he did. He said, 'I will show you what a soldier is all about'. We are so proud of him. He will always be in my heart."

She added: "I'm really proud of the way the boys have handled it from Black Watch. It's quite emotional for them, having to relive it all again.

"Although I have already been told what had happened from the boys, it did not make it any easier to hear again today. The moral support has been good from the guys. It is closure."

Mr Ridley read out statements in tribute to the soldier, who retains the rank of sergeant posthumously. Lieutenant Colonel Simon Banton, commanding officer of the mentoring and liaison battle group, said: "At every moment, he displayed professionalism and purpose. He was calm under fire and dedicated to the soldiers in his team."

He added: "It is no surprise that when Sean was taken from us, he was leading from the front, setting the example and taking the fight to the enemy. We will remember his bravery."

Captain Oliver Lever described Acting Sgt Binnie as an individual of the "highest calibre", adding: "He died as he lived, in the thick of the action and totally committed."