Former Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has been called to give evidence at the inquest into the death of British tank commander Steven Roberts, who was killed in Iraq after being ordered to give up life-saving body armour.

Oxfordshire assistant deputy coroner Andrew Walker wants to quiz Mr Hoon about why it took him eight weeks to authorise the ordering of extra body armour for soldiers to be sent to Iraq.

The lack of the vital kit led to the death of 33-year-old Sergeant Roberts, who was shot dead by his own side as he patrolled outside the southern Iraqi town Az Zubayr in the early hours of March 24 2003.

Had Sgt Roberts been wearing Army-issue Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA), he would have survived, an Army Board of Inquiry into his death found.

But he was ordered to give it up three days before his death because of shortages, the inquest heard.

James Rowley QC, acting for Sgt Roberts' widow Samantha, of Shipley, said Mrs Roberts still wanted answers about why Mr Hoon delayed in authorising an order for 37,000 sets of ECBA.

Officials conducting the Army Board of Inquiry investigation into Sgt Roberts' death sought to find out what had caused the delay but told the coroner they had had no luck.

Mr Rowley said Mr Hoon was asked by logistics staff for permission in September 2002 but this was not received until November 13, putting the process back by eight weeks.

The coroner was told by the lawyer representing the Ministry of Defence that the delay was "irrelevant" to his investigation and fell outside the scope of his inquiry.

He replied: "I do not know if it is or is not relevant until I explore the reasons for that delay. My difficulty is that it is a gap in a sequence of events that led perhaps to a delay in processing an order of goods that had relevance in this case."

If Mr Hoon does not agree to appear today Mr Walker will wait until Parliament breaks for Christmas on Tuesday before summoning Mr Hoon to attend, or ask for the House's permission to summon him earlier.

The inquest heard that more than 2,000 soldiers went to war in Iraq without life-saving body armour.

The man in charge of supplying troops with equipment said that six per cent of the 37,000 sets of ECBA were not dispatched as combat started.

Brigadier David Martin, director of the Logistics Operations Centre, said that more soldiers would have been without body armour because it was "mislaid" in theatre or sent to units' bases after they had left for the Middle East.

Mr Walker asked Brig Martin, at the time a colonel: "Do you think you should have been told that some of the soldiers were without the body armour that your department had assumed was there?"

He replied: "That was done on March 24."

The coroner said: "Too late for Sgt Steve Roberts?"

He agreed: "Yes, too late for Sgt Roberts."

The inquest heard from Sgt Roberts' regimental commanding officer that he had raised the "very critical" lack of body armour with his superiors in the days before battle commenced.

He said that 300 of the 1,000 service personnel in Sgt Roberts' 2nd Royal Tank Regiment Battle Group did not have the correct equipment going into battle.

Lieutenant Colonel Piers Hankinson told Mr Walker: "As far as I am concerned it was clearly identified that this was an area of significant concern.

"If one looks at the campaign as a whole, it's a serious shortcoming because a soldier lost his life and should not have done."

The inquest continues today when evidence from Iraqi witnesses will be read. Tapes recorded by Sgt Roberts for his widow about equipment shortages may be played at the discretion of the coroner.

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