A BOMB disposal expert from Kidderminster who was working in Iraq was killed in a hail of bullets, an inquest has heard.

Father-of-three Ian Rimell, left, and his bodyguard were ambushed on the main road to Mosul in northern Iraq by unknown gunmen.

Following the conclusion of an inquest into his death yesterday, his wife, Jennifer, said she now hoped his killers could be brought to justice.

"At the end of the day he was murdered," she said. "If it had happened in this country, they would not get away with it, and I hope one day soon we can see the people who did this put away."

Mr Rimell, who worked for the Mines Advisory Group charity, died from a number of gunshot wounds to the head, neck, chest and abdomen sustained during the attack.

A former warrant officer with the British Army, the 53-year-old, of Siskin Way, Kidderminster, had worked for MAG for just nine months helping to warn and educate the local people about landmines and undetonated bombs.

On the day of his death, September 4 2003, he had delivered a quantity of metal to the local Mayor's office and was heading north to his accommodation with his Iraqi bodyguard Salim Ahmed Muhammed.

It is believed that while en route a vehicle pulled up alongside and fired at the two men.

Mr Muhammed was seriously injured and Mr Rimell was killed.

A post mortem examination on Mr Rimell's body, revealed 24 injuries, five of which were bullet wounds.

At yesterday's inquest Worcestershire coroner Victor Round recorded a verdict of unlawful killing by terrorists who had yet to be identified.

Speaking after the hearing, Lou McGrath, executive director of MAG, said that the charity would never stop trying to find out who killed Mr Rimell and bring those people to justice.