A Plymouth soldier died after volunteering to lead a team of bomb disposal experts to a major haul of improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, an inquest has heard.

Corporal Mark Palin, aged 32, who lived near 1 Rifles' base in Chester, but was originally from Devon, was acting as point man when he died in Helmand Province last July.

He was leading a group as they made their way to a cache of bomb parts hidden in a hay stack near a village.

As they lay prone after another squad from his unit, B Company the First Battalion The Rifles (1 Rifles) – which came under fire a short distance away, he triggered the pressure plate of an IED hidden in the bank of the ditch they were using as cover.

The father of two, whose wife Carla was pregnant with their second child at the time, was killed instantly.

Plymouth Coroner Ian Arrow, recording a verdict of unlawful killing while on active service, told them: “I’m satisfied that Mark knew nothing of this from the time of the explosion. I hope this is some comfort to you.”

The inquest had heard that on July 17 last year 1 Rifles was given intelligence that a stash of bomb parts, including pressure plates, was being hidden near the village of Kokaran.

Troops were sent to guard the area and the next morning, July 18, the team of sappers and bomb disposal experts arrived to be taken to remove them. Cpl Palin’s unit was assigned to bring them up to the cache.

The inquest heard that it was possible that the bomb had been planted by a group of insurgents who had clashed with British troops in the area several weeks previously.

Major Michael Turnull, commanding officer of B Company 1 Rifles, explained how vital the operation was. He said: “The importance of exploiting that cache and the importance of it to the battle we were fighting in Afghanistan is probably easiest explained by the fact that even after his evacuation (by helicopter to Camp Bastion) I ordered them to push on and deliver the IED team to the cache.”