The family of a British soldier killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan has called on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to take responsibility for his “preventable” death.
Sapper Mark Antony Smith, 26, from Swanley, Kent, died in the Sangin area of Helmand province on July 26 2010 after a smoke screen shell fell 264 metres short of its target.
His inquest at Old Town Hall in Gravesend, Kent, heard that the investigation into what went wrong had been “hampered” by missing evidence.
Coroner Roger Hatch said the investigation had been “unsatisfactory”, adding that in his view there should be a statutory inquiry into the matter.
Speaking after the inquest, Sapper Smith’s mother, Helen Smith, said: “We believe that Mark’s death was preventable.
“The evidence shows that a broken weather computer and use of incorrect data from earlier in the day resulted in Mark’s death.
“This is compounded by the fact that the investigation was flawed. Key evidence has gone missing and has never been returned to the UK. We will probably never know if the ammunition failed on that fateful day.”
She continued: “we believe the Ministry of Defence needs to take responsibility for this so as to avoid further deaths.”