Inquests opened into the deaths of Midlands victims killed in Tunisia terror attack

The inquests have been opened into the deaths of seven people from the Midlands killed in the Tunisia terror attack.

West London Coroner's Court heard details of the first British victims to be repatriated back to the UK following the beach massacre a week ago. 38 holidaymakers were killed, including 30 Britons.

Some of the victims had to be identified by their dental records, the hearings were told.

• Joel Richards, 19 and a student at the University of Worcester, and his grandfather Patrick Evans, 78, were both shot in the head, while Joel's uncle, Adrian Evans, 49, died from gunshot wounds to the neck and "trunk". Joel's 16-year-old brother Owen survived the attack.

• Fashion blogger and University of Lincoln graduate Carly Lovett, 24, from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, died from a gunshot wound to the chest. She was on holiday her fiance, Liam.

• Denis Thwaites, 70, a former Birmingham City football player, died from a gunshot wound to the chest, while his wife Elaine, 69 and from King's Heath, was killed by gunshot wounds to the chest and pelvis.

• John Stollery, 58, a social worker from Nottinghamshire, who was on holiday with his wife and son, was killed by a gunshot wound to the head.

Detective Sergeant David Batt of the Counter Terrorism Command told the inquest 275 witness accounts had been taken by police, while more than 1,200 potential witnesses had returned to the UK.

The coroner, Chinyere Inyama, said the inquests had been suspended pending the outcome of investigations by British and Tunisian police. The victims' bodies will be released to their families as the inquest was adjourned for a later date, which has not yet been fixed.

Further inquests into deaths of the other 22 British victims are expected to open over the weekend.