AN SAS soldier died while bravely leading a search and arrest operation in Iraq, an inquest heard.

Sergeant Eddie Collins died from a single gunshot to the neck during the raid on a house.

Yesterday’s (Wednesday) hearing was told the 33-year-old Hereford man was shot on a rooftop while leading a team of British soldiers.

A colleague of Sgt Collins on the night he died, identified only as Soldier C, told the coroner he heard gunshots behind him and turned around to see Sgt Collins lying motionless on the ground.

Soldier C and a colleague then shot at the offender and requested help for Sgt Collins but he was later declared dead.

Another member of the team, Soldier B, said the shot was fired shortly after Sgt Collins went up on the roof. A pistol was later recovered. The ground commander on the night of the attack, in September 2007, Soldier A, said two teams entered the house to “search and try to make arrests”.

“Eddie was in charge of one team,” he said. “I heard an exchange of fire. I was then told on the radio that we had received a casualty.”

He assured the inquest that the soldiers had the best helmet and body armour available but said it was a balance between “manoeuvrability and protection”.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nicholas Charles Hunt, who carried out the postmortem on Sgt Collins, said he suffered a “devastating non-survival injury”.

His inspection of the body found traces of a 9mm bullet and he gave the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the neck.

County coroner David Halpern recorded a verdict that Sgt Collins was unlawfully killed by non-friendly fire.

Speaking after the inquest, his family provided a statement which read: “We are all so very proud of him. We all miss him so dearly and now want to get on with our lives.”

At the time of his death, Sgt Collins’ commanding officer paid tribute to his colleague, describing him as a warrior leading from the front.

“Sgt Collins was a champion soldier, a proud and loving family man and a great friend,” he said.

“He died a warrior – on the battlefield, leading from the front, doing a job he loved in the service of his friends, his regiment, his family and his country.”