'Gallant' Briton killed in terrorist attack gave up place on helicopter

A British man was killed in a terrorist attack in Mozambique after he "gallantly" gave up his place on a rescue helicopter so that women and children could be saved, an inquest has heard.

Contractor Philip Mawer, from Shaftesbury, Dorset, was killed in a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack by Al-Shabaab terrorists as he tried to flee a hotel infiltrated by insurgents.

An inquest heard the 58-year-old suffered multiple injuries in the attack on a convoy of vehicles which had left the Amarula Hotel in the town of Palma in the north of the country on 26 March, 2021.

The group fled as it was feared the hotel would become overrun by the rebel fighters.

Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg told the inquest that he had "gallantly" given up his space on a rescue helicopter the previous day, allowing women, children and the sick to be evacuated first.

The Briton had also refused a seat in an armoured vehicle in the convoy, instead opting to take his own "soft-skin" vehicle with two passengers.

Recording a verdict on Thursday that Mr Mawer was unlawfully killed, Mr Pegg concluded that his decisions not to take a seat on the evacuation helicopter or in the armoured vehicle contributed to his death.

Speaking to Mr Mawer's two brothers who attended the Winchester hearing, he said: "Your brother was a true leader, he put his team and others first before himself and he did so at a time when it's quite likely, very likely, he would have been in fear."

The coroner said that to have been at the hotel between 24 and 26 March would have been a "highly stressful" experience.

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He added: "Philip would have known the atrocities being committed just beyond that compound wall, the killings, the amputations, the beheadings and Philip knew, because he knew Mozambique well and had experience in that type of environment, if the insurgents breached the compound security he would have been captured and killed."

But he said that despite the hostile environment, Mr Mawer's character was such that he "expressed a sense of relief" when he knew his team had been safely evacuated.

The inquest also heard the hotel's manager was able to contract a helicopter to rescue himself, his two dogs and another person from the premises on the same day that Mr Mawer was killed.

Mr Mawer was employed by RA International, a remote site construction firm, at the time of his death and had been based in the east African country for 18 months, managing the building of camps for staff involved in a large natural gas project.

In a statement after his death, Mr Mawer's family said: "Philip was an ebullient, outgoing character who had something of the lovable rogue about him."

His brother, William, told the hearing: "Philip was a young brother to Mark and I, he was an absolutely amazing individual and his key characteristics were his incredible generosity, his lust for life, his sense of humour and his ability to get things done in really crazy difficult situations."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Gallant' Briton killed in terrorist attack gave up place on helicopter