Tunisia inquests: 'First victims didn't stand a chance'

Witnesses giving evidence at the inquest into the deaths of 30 murdered Britons in Tunisia have described how the first victims to be targeted didn't stand a chance.

One man who escaped with his wife described how their friends Janet and John Stocker were killed at almost point blank range as they lay on their sun loungers.

In a written statement to the inquests being held at the Royal Courts of Justice, the witness said: "I noticed a man walking towards [Janet and John] wearing a baseball cap and black shorts, t-shirt and boots.

"My immediate thought was that he was a policemen."

The witness said the gunman, Seifeddine Rezgui, continued to fire at people after he'd shot his friends.

He said: "[The gunman] didn't really move from right in front of Janet and John... he was firing strafing shots from side to side... [Janet and John] must have been the first to be shot, they didn't stand a chance."

The inquest, which is likely to last around seven weeks, is examining whether or not more could have been done to prevent the deaths of the 30 Britons who were murdered by the Islamic extremist in June 2015.

A total of 38 people died in the gun and grenade attack on five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel near the resort of Sousse.

A friend of the first victim, Trudy Jones, also gave evidence about the events surrounding her death.

Carol Anne Powell said she was not on the beach when the mother-of-four was shot while on a sunbed near the sea.

She described the moment gunshots were heard from the poolside.

She said: "It was chaos... People were running to the hotel area screaming, they were screaming 'go go go'."

Ms Powell said she hid in a car park playing dead until she was rescued by a member of the hotel's staff.

"I heard footsteps near to me but I thought it was the gunman. He said 'come on' but I said nothing," she added.

"He picked me up and carried me on his shoulders. I was a dead weight. I thought he was the gunman... I'm desperate to find out who he was and say 'thank you'."

The court was also told that the beach was unusually quiet on the morning the attack happened.

Two witnesses said the usual number of traders were not present.

They were "normally as regular as clockwork," one of them said.

"Whether they were tipped off, I don't know," the witness added.

The inquests continue.