Coroner rules death of British paratrooper killed in Ukraine was not suspicious

A coroner has ruled that the death of the first British service member killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion was not suspicious, the BBC reports.

Lance Corporal George Hooley, 28, of the Parachute Regiment, sustained multiple injuries from an explosion on 6 December 2025 while assisting Ukrainian troops, senior coroner for Oxfordshire Darren Salter found. He died of his injuries in a hospital in Kyiv three days later.

Mr Salter said he had been given “limited evidence” about the circumstances and cause of the explosion. The exact location is unknown beyond that it was away from the front line, and Hooley was transferred between at least one other hospital in Ukraine before his death. The inquest was held partly in secret this week.

The Ministry of Defence has previously described Hooley, from Wallingford in Oxfordshire, as “an exceptional soldier and an impressive junior leader with extensive operational experience”, saying his death was a “tragic accident” while he was “observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability”. The MoD declined further comment on the circumstances.

His company commander said he was “a born soldier” with “a rare gift: a deep kindness and genuine time for everyone”. Hooley joined the regiment in June 2016 after training at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick in North Yorkshire.

The UK government has never disclosed the number of service personnel in Ukraine, but has previously acknowledged a small number are there to support Ukraine’s armed forces and provide security to diplomatic personnel.