Sgt Roberts was the first British soldier killed in action in Iraq

Tank commander Sgt Scott Manley said he had been trying to stop a rock-wielding Iraqi from attacking Sgt Steven Roberts but his actions tragically backfired.

Sgt Roberts, 33, of Shipley, West Yorkshire, and originally of Cornwall, died from "friendly fire" in 2003.

He had been ordered to give up his body armour earlier due to shortages.

Sgt Manley said he initially gave the order to fire on the Iraqi with a lighter weapon, but this jammed.

He said he did not know the machine gun he then switched to was known to be inaccurate at short range - Sgt Roberts was around 15 metres from his tank when it opened fire.

The inquest in Oxford had heard earlier from Trooper Gary Thornton, who also broke down as he spoke of the moment he accidentally gunned down Sgt Roberts.

Angry exchanges

Trooper Thornton said he aimed the machine gun in his tank at an Iraqi man throwing rocks at Sgt Roberts, who was on the ground at a vehicle check point.

He fired two bursts on the orders of his tank colleague Sgt Manley and saw the Iraqi drop down, he said.

Trooper Thornton said: "The Iraqi got back up and I saw his arm, roughly at the elbow joint, hanging off.

"That's when I heard over the intercom that Sgt Roberts was on the floor."

Sgt Roberts' widow, Samantha, left the court during angry exchanges between Sgt Manley and her lawyer, James Rowley QC, over whether the Iraqi assailant constituted a sufficient threat to open fire.

Sgt Manley said the man's face was painted or chalked white - a sign of a martyr, he later was told by an Iraqi interpreter.

He said he decided to open fire on seeing Sgt Roberts attempting to fire his Browning pistol, which jammed.

"If he had not drawn his pistol maybe it would have been totally different but he set the stage by drawing his own weapon and firing or attempting to fire," he said.

The inquest continues.