British fighter Ryan Lock shot himself to avoid capture by Islamic State and died a hero, coroner concludes

A British man who left his comfortable home and job to fight against Islamic State as a volunteer died a hero in December when he turned his weapon on himself after being hopelessly surrounded by enemy troops, a coroner has ruled.

Ryan Lock, 20, a chef from Havant in Hampshire, was badly wounded in the leg during a gun battle in Syria and, realising he was about to be captured, shot himself, the inquest in Portsmouth was told.

Lock’s mother, Catherine, wept as the coroner, David Horsley, refused to record a conclusion of suicide but instead said her son, who had no previous military experience, had sacrificed his life for a cause.

Giving a narrative conclusion, the coroner said: “During a battle with Islamic State Ryan gave his life fighting for a cause to which he had dedicated his all. He was a very brave young man. He died doing something quite clearly he believed passionately in. I think that has to be the memorial for Ryan. We’ve lost a heroic young man.”

It emerged during the inquest that Lock’s family only confirmed he was dead when his father, Jon Plater, found an image of his body being displayed as a “trophy” on an Isis website.