Tragic last mission of Navy Lieutenant father

A Lieutenant who had decided to quit the Royal Navy to spend more time with his children died on his last deployment, his widow told an inquest yesterday.

Lieutenant Tony King and five colleagues from 849 Squadron lost their lives after a mid-air collision between two Sea King helicopters over the Arabian Gulf in the first week of the Iraq war in 2003.

His widow Sarah, 38, campaigned for three years for a full inquest, which has only just begun due to a backlog of 70 cases relating to servicemen killed abroad.

Mrs King, a supply teacher, told the hearing in Oxford the death of her 35-year-old husband had left a 'huge void' in her life and that of their children - David, nine, and Molly seven. 'Tony had decided after one more deployment to leave the Navy so he would never have to spend time away from (his children) again,' she added.

Oxfordshire's assistant deputy coroner Sir Richard Curtis said he would investigate what caused the helicopters to collide as one returned to the carrier Ark Royal as the other took off from the vessel.

Lt Philip Green, 30, from Caythorpe, Lincolnshire; Lt Marc Lawrence, 26, from Westgate-on-Sea, Kent; Lt Philip West, 32, from Budock Water, Cornwall; Lt James Williams, 28, from Falmouth, Cornwall and Lt Andrew Wilson, 36, from Exeter, also lost their lives.

The hearing continues.