The killing of a British soldier in Iraq by a US pilot was a "criminal, unlawful act" that was tantamount to manslaughter, a British coroner ruled on Friday.
The family of Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull, who died in March 2003, wept as they were told at the inquest in Oxford, England, that it was "an entirely avoidable tragedy."
His widow, Susan, welcomed the verdict, saying it was what the family had been waiting four years for. Hull said she did not want to see the pilot prosecuted, but felt she been "badly let down" by the US government, which consistently refused to cooperate with the court.
The British Ministry of Defense issued an apology over its handling of the cockpit video, which had caused so much controversy when the refusal to release it to the inquest was exposed by the Sun newspaper.
The coroner, Andrew Walker, was damning in his appraisal of the way the Hull family had been treated.
"They, despite request after request, have been, as this court has been, denied access to evidence that would provide the fullest explanation to help understand the sequence of events that led to and caused the tragic loss of LCorp Hull's life," he said.
"I have no doubt of how much pain and suffering they have been put through during this inquisition process and to my mind that is inexcusable," he said.
No US witness gave evidence at the inquest and defense chiefs refused to allow the coroner access to their forces' rules of engagement. The family believes that withholding of key documents and evidence was a bid to cover up mistakes.
A US Department of Defense spokesman on Friday denied there had been a coverup and was adamant that the killing was an accident.
"The US military investigation into this tragedy was thorough and conducted according to the same processes and standards as would be used in investigation of a friendly fire incident involving the death of an American military member. The investigation determined that the incident took place in a complex combat environment, the pilots followed applicable procedures for engaging targets, and that this was a tragic accident." he said.
Hull was killed three days before his 26th birthday when a convoy of British Household Cavalry vehicles was strafed by two US A10 jets. He died from multiple injuries inside the gun turret of his blazing Scimitar tank despite efforts to save him.
Susan Hull was told by the UK Ministry of Defense the cockpit tape of the incident did not exist, something proved untrue when the Sun published its contents.
The defense ministry's apology to the Hull family said: "We are very sorry for confusion and upset caused over the handling of the cockpit footage. We are carefully considering the coroner's comments and their full implications."
At a press conference, Susan Hull spoke of her frustration with US President George W. Bush, who had promised he would help her in any way she could.
Asked who she blamed for her husband's death, she said POPOV36, codename for Gus Kohntopp, the US pilot who fired on the convoy.
"I hope that they are at peace with themselves and can move on in their lives. I am sure they are feeling remorseful. I hope they are," she said.
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