Khalil Rhasjed Dale MBE, who was also known as Ken, was seized by gunmen in the city of Quetta on January 5 2012.
His body was found beheaded on a roadside that April — with Mr Dale believed to have been murdered by the Pakistani wing of the Taliban.
Born Kenneth Robin Dale in York, he changed his name when he became a Muslim.
He grew up in Dumfries and worked as a casualty nurse at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
The inquest into his death was held at Chesterfield Coroners Court this week as he is buried in Derbyshire.
The court heard that Mr Dale’s career led him to the Red Cross, undertaking his first mission in Kenya in 1981. He went on to work in Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Following his abduction, the International Committee of the Red Cross took part in negotiations with the help of the UK Government.
However, his body was found with a note saying he had been killed because a ransom had not been paid.
The inquest was told that he died, aged 60, as a result of decapitation.
Senior coroner Dr Robert Hunter concluded that Mr Dale was unlawfully killed while providing international humanitarian assistance.
Since his death, Mr Dale has been posthumously honoured with the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award and the Florence Nightingale Medal, recognising over 30 years of life spent in the service of others, bringing healthcare to people living in some of the worlds most dangerous places.
The Khalil Dale Memorial Fund has been set up to continue his legacy at www.justgiving.com/khalildale
