Olaf Schmid, who was fatally wounded while defusing a bomb in Afghanistan, seemed rushed before his death, inquest hears

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

An "inspirational" bomb disposal expert appeared under pressure and rushed on the day he died in an explosion in Afghanistan, an inquest has heard.

Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid disarmed 64 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) before he was killed on the eve of his return home in October 2009.

Corporal Thomas Stace said Schmid, 30, of the Royal Logistic Corps, had been "somewhat impatient" as he defused explosives on the day of his death.

The pressure was not imposed by army chiefs, he said. "I think he was under pressure to deal with them all and that it was a self-imposed pressure," Stace said on Wednesday in written evidence to the hearing in Truro, Cornwall.

Sapper Craig Butterworth, who witnessed the death, described Schmid as a "total inspiration" but also noticed signs of stress.

Schmid's widow, Christina, watched as Butterworth paid tribute to the bomb disposal expert. "He was an inspiration to the team and a total professional," his written evidence, read out in court, said. "Whoever takes his position has some big shoes to fill."

Schmid had been attending to a suspected IED when Butterworth heard a blast and a comrade shouted: "Oz is dead", the inquest heard.

It was suggested the mindset of Schmid, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross, may have been shaped by the fact he would be soon going home.

At one point, while pulling up a suspected IED wire, he turned to a colleague and said: "Don't look at me, you did not see this," the inquest heard.

Butterworth added: "On that day it occurred to me that he was slightly rushed. I could only think that this was because it was his last day before going home for rest and recuperation."

Lance Corporal Steven Fisher also gave written evidence to the hearing, suggesting some of Schmid's actions on the day had been "out of character". Fisher said his colleague had been "clearly getting frustrated".

The inquest continues.