A FORMER SBS commando from Poole was tortured then shot in the back, an inquest heard today.

Brian Tilley, 47, was killed at his girlfriend's home in the lawless al-Dawrah district of Baghdad in May 2004.

Five or six gunmen burst into the house early in the morning, dragged Mr Tilley into the kitchen and brutally killed him.

Then they shot the other five members of the household who were cowering in the bedroom.

Amazingly, despite being shot in the head, a teenage girl survived and was able to tell US military police what happened.

She was taken into custody for her own protection, eventually relocated to Jordan, but has since disappeared.

The case against five Iraqi policemen has since collapsed.

Dorset deputy coroner Jonathon Morrissey recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.