British father died in drone attack while defending Ukraine

A father-of-three became the first Briton to die while defending Ukraine after he was killed by a drone attack, a coroner has concluded. Army veteran Scott Sibley, from Immingham, Lincolnshire, was 36 when a drone dropped mortar shells on his regiment in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, on April 22. Senior coroner Darren Salter ruled today that Mr Sibley, described by his family as a ‘protector’ with a ‘good heart’, was ‘killed while on active service for the Ukrainian army’, and described the events leading up to his death. News of the killing of Mr Sibley comes as Rishi Sunak represents Britain at the G20 summit in Indonesia, during which he called out Vladimir Putin for failing to attend.Mr Sibley’s family, including his younger sister Victoria and mother Mary, watched the Oxford Coroner’s Court by videolink.Mary said in a statement that Mr Sibley was ‘a good person’ who ‘would do anything for anyone’.Mr Salter said Mr Sibley, who was born in Grimsby, had been working as an HGV driver in South Killingholme, Lincolnshire, when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. He had previously served as a part of the Royal Logistic Corps in Afghanistan before he withdrew from service five years ago to focus on his family.But when he saw horrific scenes of abuse during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he told his family he wanted to use his experience to help. The war veteran flew out from Manchester Airport to Ukraine via Poland on March 13, joining the International Brigade of Ukraine in Mykolaiv. Mr Sibley was killed while helping to defend Ukraine (Image: Facebook)A consular official’s statement details Mr Sibley’s final moments from his position in a small military pit commonly referred to as a foxhole.Reading the statement to the court, Mr Salter said: ‘A drone was seen overhead. Moments later, one mortar landed on the side of the foxhole where Scott was, compromising the foxhole.’He ran to another foxhole, and while he was running, another mortar hit him, killing him instantly.’He said Mr Sibley ‘sustained fatal injuries to his chest and abdomen’, including damage to his left lung and a ruptured kidney. An American captain from Mr Sibley’s unit informed his father Melvin of his death.READ MORE: ‘EVERY murderer will be hunted down’ – Zelensky promises justice In a statement read to the court, Mrs Sibley described him as ‘a mischievous, blond-haired, blue-eyed little boy’ who grew up surrounded by female relatives and took on the role of ‘protector’. She added that as a teenager he ‘spent most of his time’ in the cadets and was always ‘helping where he could’, before joining the Army.Describing his decision to fight in Ukraine, Mrs Sibley said: ‘He had heard news about women and children being abused. He wanted to help. He knew Ukraine was requiring assistance, especially from those with military experience, which Scott had.’While in Poland, Scott would make contact via a family WhatsApp group so we would know he was safe. He said he had made some good friends and he was fine. He was pleased to be helping.DON’T MISS: Ukrainians baffled as Russian soldiers steal raccoon from zoo [VIDEO]Russia told to end ‘barbaric’ war on Ukraine by Rishi Sunak [INSIGHT]Solovyov loses it over repeated Ukrainian shelling of Russian town [ANALYSIS] Mr Sibley fought alongside Ukrainian soldiers against Russia (Image: Getty)’He was in his element and likened it to his Afghan tours. This was the last communication we had with Scott. Scott would do anything to help anyone. He had a good heart, and was a good person.’After a Ukrainian death certificate was issued for Mr Sibley on April 25, his body was then repatriated to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on May 24. He was identified through both dental records and a distinctive tattoo of two hands, one large and one small, on the back of his left shoulder.The coroner said a forensic pathologist concluded ‘there is nothing that could have been done to have saved his life’.Deaths with unnatural causes, and those that occur abroad, must be considered by a coroner.