Shortages of equipment were blamed yesterday for the deaths of British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan as two coroners in separate inquests made withering attacks on the Ministry of Defence.

One coroner attacked the MoD’s “unforgivable” failure to supply basic equipment, and accused it of a breach of trust. Both inquests showed that an acute lack of equipment had played a part in the deaths of a young officer in Afghanistan and two soldiers in Iraq.

Captain James Philippson, 29, of 7 Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, was killed by a gunshot wound to the head on June 11, 2006, when his unit went to the rescue of other British soldiers who had come under fire from the Taleban in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan.

His colleagues told an inquest in Oxford that they were “totally outgunned”, and lacked basic equipment, including Minimi machineguns, rifles with under-slung grenades and night-vision kits.

Andrew Walker, the assistant coroner for Oxfordshire, spoke of the MoD’s “unforgivable and inexcusable” failure to supply the right equipment. He accused the ministry of “a breach of trust between the soldiers and those who govern them”.

At the other inquest, into the deaths of Lance Sergeant Chris Casey, 27, and Lance Corporal Kirk Redpath, 22, of the Irish Guards, the coroner called for a review of government spending on the Armed Forces after being told that the two soldiers, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, did not have a Mastiff heavily armoured vehicle because they were all in use already. They died in an armoured “snatch” Land Rover.

David Masters, the Wiltshire Coroner, said that a specific request had been made for a Mastiff, and he was concerned that one had not been made available. “It is my belief that it is imperative that our forces, whether they be in Iraq or Afghanistan, are given the best available equipment. If that means Mastiffs and not snatch Land Rovers, then they should get Mastiffs because of the improved protection that they give,” he said at the inquest in Trowbridge.

He recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. As both coroners criticised the MoD, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, was in Glasgow to publicise a new laser rangefinder for artillery units, which he plans to bring into service in Afghanistan — but not until next year.

He announced a £30 million contract for 700 Joint Target Acquisition Systems (J-TAS) to help the Royal Artillery to locate enemy gun and mortar positions at night over a range of 5km (3 miles).

The MoD said: “The launch of the new target acquisition equipment has been planned for many weeks and, given that the coroner acts completely independently of the MoD, we had no way of knowing that he [Mr Walker] would announce his verdict about the death of Captain Philippson today. It was certainly not our intention to cause any distress to the family and our thoughts and sympathies are with them at this time.”

Mr Walker said the soldiers were not being defeated by the Taleban but “by the lack of basic equipment”.

Before Captain Philippson’s death, his regiment had complained about the lack of night-vision kit and weaponry. The inquest was told that even after his death the equipment was not supplied. Asked by the coroner whether a good stock of Minimi machineguns and under-slung grenade launchers would have helped, Major Jonathan Bristow, Captain Philippson’s commander, said: “It would have made a hell of a difference.”

Mr Walker recorded a narrative verdict at the inquest into the “unlawful” killing of Captain Philippson.

After the inquest, Anthony Philippson, Captain Philippson’s father, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, gave his full support to the coroner. “He laid into them [the MoD] particularly badly for the lack of equipment,” he said.

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