Briton fighting ISIS in Syria killed himself to avoid capture
A ‘HEROIC’ young Briton fighting Islamic State in Syria killed himself to avoid capture after being surrounded by terrorists, an inquest heard.
Ryan Lock, 20, who had joined up with Kurdish forces, was ‘immobilised’ by a bullet to the thigh as ISIS fighters closed in.
The chef, from Chichester, West Sussex, shot himself last December while fighting with the People’s Defence Units (YPG) in Raqqa to avoid a ‘frightening and painful death’.
His family, who had not heard from him for weeks, only learnt of his death when they discovered images of a fighter standing over his body on an Arabic news site.
At an inquest in Portsmouth yesterday the coroner described Mr Lock as a ‘true hero’ who, despite being injured, had continued fighting ‘bravely’. Recording a narrative verdict, David Horsley said: ‘This is the story of a young man who gave up a comfortable life in order to go and fight for what he believes in.
‘He was likely to have fallen into the hands of a cruel and ruthless enemy so instead he took his own life. It can only be viewed as a very brave act. He was a very brave man and his family have lost a very heroic young man.’
Mr Horsley said he would not record a suicide verdict because Mr Lock did not plan to kill himself.
Pathologist Basil Purdue said the chef was killed by an ‘overwhelming’ single shot to the head, while the bullet wound to his thigh was ‘a severe injury which would have immobilised him’. ‘Unless he was carried away there was no possibility of him getting away,’ he added.
Mr Lock, who had no fighting experience, told his parents last August that he was going backpacking in Turkey, the inquest heard, but made his way to Syria. He later told his mother Catherine he would be a chef for the YPG. Miss Lock said her son had expressed anger over the war in the region.
The nurse, from Havant, Hampshire, added: ‘He was saying how sad it all is for the women and children and said, “Someone should do something about it”.’
She said her son became secretive before leaving home and spent a lot of time on his computer and, unusually, spring cleaned his room. ‘That was one of the things that I really questioned,’ added Miss Lock. ‘I said at one point, “are you even planning on coming back?” Deep down I knew something was up but didn’t really know what.’
She said she panicked when her son told her he was joining the YPG and told him: ‘I’m proud of you but please just come home now.’
Miss Lock said she maintained contact with him via his mobile phone but he never mentioned being involved in combat.
After she lost touch with him in December, Mr Lock’s father Jon Plater, who is separated from his mother, searched online for information on casualties and discovered the images.
He said: ‘It was a picture of Ryan with the gunshot wound on his head and some sort of fighter was stand- ing over him. It was definitely Ryan. It was horrible.’
A YPG commander said Mr Lock was a ‘martyr’ who died ‘putting up a brave fight’ but Miss Lock criticised the group for recruiting inexperienced men. ‘Without them he would not be dead – he would not have been able to get to Syria,’ she said.
Four Britons are believed to have died fighting ISIS in Syria.
‘Cruel and ruthless enemy’