The lives of three Brits killed in a plane crash in Ethiopia were "stolen" by the "greed" of Boeing who put profits before safety, an inquest heard.

Humanitarians Joanna Toole, 36, Samuel Pegram, 25, and Oliver Vick, 45, were among 157 people killed on onboard flight ET302.

Their families have spent years demanding answers over why the aircraft was allowed to fly despite safety concerns resulting from a previous crash just five months earlier.

At the start of an inquest today at Horsham, they accused Boeing of playing "Russian Roulette" with people's lives.

The crash on March 10, 2019, occurred six minutes after it took off from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi in Kenya.

All 149 passengers and eight crew members died in the crash - less than five months after an earlier Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed in the Java Sea on October 29, 2018, killing 189.

The dual incidents caused a two-year worldwide long-term grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 8, and later resulted in the manufacturer being charged with conspiracy to defraud the US in January 2021.

It is alleged that certain software characteristics of the Max (the MCAS system) were concealed from the regulator during its certification process.

The erroneous activation of the MCAS system has since been blamed for both the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019.

At the inquest, the families urged the coroner to issue a verdict of unlawful killing to recognise the role Boeing's deceit and neglect had played in the deaths.

Publication of the Air Accident Report was delayed leading to an agonising four year wait for the families for answers.

The report stated there was no fault on behalf of the pilots, no impact to the aircraft from striking birds or any other external event.

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Mark Pegrim, father of Sam, who was from Preston and worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said paid tribute to his son, who he described as a “special person” who “made the world a better place”.

"How he was lost and that it should have been avoided makes it harder to bare,” he said.

"People who were responsible just carry on with their lives.

"The dishonesty and deceit they have shown is the complete opposite of Sam's values."

Mr Pegrim said they wanted to bring justice for all of the families on board the flight and paid tribute to his son.

"It was designed with fatal flaws," he said. "Boeing then continued to fly after the first crash.

"This should not have happened - too many lives have been lost.

"I urge you to reach a verdict of unlawful killing. They were not just negligent but broke the law.”

Sam's mum Deborah added: "Boeing played Russian roulette with people's lives and they should be held responsible for the deaths."

Loved ones of Joanna Toole, of Exmouth, Devon, described her as someone who loved animals and "really cared and was very passionate about conversation."

Her dad Adrian Toole said: "All her potential was cut short. I am sure evidence will convince you it was no accident.

"It was a disaster that happened in a faraway place - but shows another crash was inevitable. And another Max 8 could have come down in the UK."

Joanna was employed to represent the UN and her family said her life's ambition was to improve the lives of animals.

Mr Toole added: "She had a rare combination of empathy for both animals and people.

"The death of a child is like losing a part of yourself and I started dying on March 10, 2019."

He said Joanna was on her way to represent the UN at an environmental assembly in Nairobi.

Oliver Vick's mother Cheryl, of Wargrave, Berkshire, accused those responsible of "deliberately" putting profit above safety and for causing what she described as a "devastating and avoidable crash."

She said her son was "stolen from us by Boeing fraud and a deep betrayal of the world's flying public."

Paying tribute, she described Oliver as a devoted father and said his death had left their world "a sadder, emptier place."

The inquest continues.