Jamie Lee Sawyer Died in March 2015 While Deployed On A UN Peacekeeping Tour In Cyprus

An inquest into the death of a young soldier killed while adventure training during a tour in Cyprus will begin today.

Jamie Lee Sawyer, known as “Jay,” from Birmingham died during an adventure training exercise in turbulent waters on 12 March, 2015 while deployed on a United Nations peacekeeping tour in Cyprus.

British kayaking instructor, David Hughes, 48, was charged with causing death by a dangerous or reckless act and appeared before a Famagusta District Court, in Cyprus, for trial in May last year – proceedings which were halted after a Judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to continue with the prosecution.

Jay’s mother Tracy Sawyer instructed expert military inquest lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help support her with the investigation into the circumstances behind Jay’s accident. She says she hopes the inquest will provide her with answers the criminal proceedings could not.

She said: “Jay was the best son and brother we could ever have asked for. He deeply loved his family and his infectious personality touched all those who knew him. To lose him is a pain I can barely put into words, but to not know why is agony.

“I had hoped the criminal trial would have given me those answers – people would be compelled to answer questions - but now my hope is that the inquest can determine how he came by his death.”

At a pre-inquest review, held in August 2015, Birmingham coroner Louise Hunt said she would be examining a number of factors including the possible ‘lack of appreciation’ of the weather forecast for that day, whether there was any storm warning system in place and whether equipment provided to Jay was fit for purpose.

She said she would also explore how long it took for a rescue boat to arrive at the scene.

Tracy added: “I hope now questions can be answered to help bring some closure for me and the other family members.”

Expert Opinion

“As the mother of a serving soldier, Tracy tried as best she could to prepare herself for the worst, hoping she wouldn’t lose Jay to conflict but knowing she might. To lose Jay during a peacekeeping mission and while doing something where he should have been safe is still something she struggles to truly understand.

“While we are no longer able to seek answers on Tracy’s behalf from a criminal trial, we hope a full inquest will finally give her the answers she deserves and identify any lessons which could prevent similar tragedies.” Andrew Buckham - Partner

Irwin Mitchell has a specialist national team that regularly acts for soldiers and their families who are injured or killed abroad.

The inquest is to be held at Birmingham Coroners Court and set to last for two to three days.