Ukraine conflict: British man Scott Sibley killed by mortar fire - inquest

A British man fighting against Russian forces in Ukraine was killed after being struck by mortar fire, an inquest has heard.

Scott Sibley, 36, from South Killingholme, North Lincolnshire, died on 22 April after his position in southern Ukraine was attacked.

He died from "penetrating fragment injuries" to the chest and abdomen, Oxfordshire Coroners' Court was told.

A full inquest is due to take place on 15 November.

The court heard that Mr Sibley, who was the first Briton confirmed to have died in Ukraine since the invasion began, had travelled to the region on 13 March to join Ukrainian soldiers on the front line.

Mr Sibley, who left the British military about five years ago, had "volunteered for a task" and spent three days in a "foxhole" (a defensive strategic position) in the Mykolaiv region, the inquest was told.

On the third day, as another team of soldiers came to relieve Mr Sibley and others, a drone appeared overhead and moments later they came under attack from artillery fire.

Mr Sibley was fatally wounded as he ran to another position a short distance away, Senior Coroner Darren Salter told the court.

A post-mortem found the initial cause of death was "penetrating fragment injuries to the chest and abdomen", the coroner said.

Following his death, the Logistics Support Squadron's Facebook page described him as a "former serving soldier" of the squadron and said he had "showed Commando spirit until the end".

The founder of a fundraising page described Mr Sibley, also known as Sibs, as a "friend like no other" and "the bravest person I've had the pleasure to have known".

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