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BBC News
05-07-2025
- BBC News
Army base death puts spotlight on history of bullying allegations
An Army investigation into the death of L/Cpl Bernard Mongan described it as a "tragic event". But, evidence at his inquest mirrored that heard about the deaths of other soldiers in recent years and highlighted long-standing questions around bullying and mental health support for Mongan was found dead in his room at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire on 23 January 2020 - three weeks after he was last seen Centre for Military Justice (CMJ) said the fact nobody on the UK's largest Army base realised he was missing for so long was "astonishing and appalling", while the delay left senior coroner Jon Heath unable to determine exactly how the 33-year-old he did conclude the father-of-three was "on occasions treated and spoken to by his chain of command in a way that caused him distress".L/Cpl Mongan's wife, Beth - whom he was separated from at the time of his death - went further."I believe that Bernie took his own life while in crisis," she said after the coroner returned his conclusion in Northallerton in June.."He had been badly assaulted the year before and little to no action taken to address that, and he said that had been bullied and I believe him. "I also believe the mental health care he received in the weeks before he died was deeply inadequate."Over the course of the inquest one witness described how L/Cpl Mongan had been "shouted, screamed and swore at" and "forced" to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat, while another said he was "100% victimised".Two other soldiers however suggested he had been "mismanaged" as opposed to being bullied, while Capt Ben Atkin, RSM for L/Cpl Mongan's battalion said physical exercise was "not allowed to be used in the British Army as a punishment" and "if I had seen it, I would have stopped it". Whatever the precise truth, the inquest brought allegations of bullying in the Army front and centre and not for the first Emma Norton, from the CMJ - which provides independent legal advice and support to service personnel and their relatives - has represented the families of eight former soldiers at their those she and the CMJ have helped are L/Cpl Joel Robinson and Cpl Anne-Marie Ellement, both of whom complained of bullying before taking their own said all of them had "very, very serious concerns about whether the vulnerabilities and experiences of their loved ones were adequately identified and responded to by the Army".While L/Cpl Mongan never made an official complaint about bullying Ms Norton believed his chain of command "should have been capable of identifying that and dealing with it". If you have been affected by any of the issues raised you can seek help via the BBC's Action Line website. The inquest also heard L/Cpl Mongan had made several attempts on his own life prior to his death, including one while serving in the Army in information about his mental health history was not shared when he moved to if that was a significant failure in communication, Capt Atkin told the hearing: "It's an issue, it's a failing, the system should have worked."For Ms Norton it was "a shocking failure" and "unforgivably bad"."[Bernie] is another good example of the risk that can be posed when this information-sharing system falls down," she said. Army 'failed duty of care' L/Cpl Mongan was not the only soldier at Catterick whose inquest heard information about a failure to share information around previous attempts to self harm .Nicholas Hart was found dead at the North Yorkshire base in February 2022, just weeks before the birth of his youngest November 2024, coroner Jonathan Leach recorded a verdict of Hart's sister, Jamie Hart-Dobbs, still vividly remembers one of his regular sayings about Army life: "They taught me how to go to war, they didn't teach me how to come back from it."Also 33, the dad-of-four served with the 4th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. He too had previously attempted to take his own the inquest into his death heard his colleagues were unaware of internal inquiry by the Ministry of Defence found there were "missed opportunities" in the care he received before he died."It's not missed opportunities, it's down right neglect," said Ms Hart-Dobbs."They have a duty of care, they failed in that duty of care."The inquest heard Highlander Hart's mental health had worsened following the suicide of another soldier based at Catterick Garrison, Ryan witnesses told Mr Mackenzie's inquest they were also never made aware of his past suicide attempts, or his mental health history. Highlander Hart's wife Sara believes her husband should have been medically discharged following a suicide attempt in 2014."You are holding a gun, you are going out to fight, putting your life on the line - they should know what your mental state is," she said."If your mind isn't right, how are you going to protect the fellow person that's beside you?"Ms Hart-Dobbs added: "They are not expendable, these men, you can't just throw them away. They are ours."She said she had followed L/Cpl Mongan's inquest, describing it as a "repeat" of her family's experiences."There shouldn't be a reason for [the Army] to have to apologise to families like us because our men should still be here." In 2021, following L/Cpl Mongan's death a Service Inquiry by the Army into his death made 49 recommendations - all of which Ms Norton said were accepted and "should mean that it would be less likely that there would be more cases like his".Highlander Hart died the following the BBC put the concerns raised by L/Cpl Mongan's and Highlander Hart's families to the Army, they said the demands placed on service personnel had the potential to have a significant impact on their health and well said they worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS and other stakeholders to further improve the support available and help others recognise recognise the signs of mental health distress in themselves and their colleagues and to encourage people to seek help.A Ministry of Defence spokesperson added: "Our deepest sympathies remain with the family and friends of Lance Corporal Bernie Mongan. "His loss has been profoundly felt throughout the Army, but we recognise that no-one has felt this tragedy more deeply than those closest to him."The Army accepted and is actioning all of the recommendations identified by the Service Inquiry report into Bernie's death."We deeply regret and apologise for the shortfalls in our duty of care towards him, which were clearly unacceptable. "We're grateful to HM Coroner for the thorough and diligent examination of the circumstances surrounding his death."Bernie's service will not be forgotten, and we owe it to his memory, to his loved ones, and to all who serve to ensure that we consistently and diligently provide the duty of care our people need and deserve." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Independent
19-06-2025
- The Independent
Army's delay in finding soldier's body in barracks ‘unforgivable'
The widow of a soldier who was found dead in his barracks three weeks after he was last seen said she believes he 'took his own life while in crisis' and criticised the delay in finding him as 'unforgivable'. Father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan's decomposing body was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court heard the 33-year-old's medical cause of death was 'unascertained' as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine. On Thursday senior coroner Jon Heath said it was 'not possible to determine' whether L/Cpl Mongan died from suicide or natural causes and recorded an open conclusion. The conclusion said there was nothing found at the scene or in the post-mortem examination to explain how he died, adding: 'The cause of death is unascertained and it is not possible to determine how he came by his death.' L/Cpl Mongan's widow Beth Mongan, who was separated from him at the time of his death, said the conclusion was 'an enormous disappointment' and that he was 'very badly let down by the Army'. The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had complained of being bullied by senior officers and that five junior soldiers and two senior non-commissioned officers had informed the chain of command that he was being treated differently. Former corporal Stephen Timmerman said 'bullying would be an understatement' as he described how L/Cpl Mongan was 'shouted, screamed and swore at', made to clean senior officers' cars in his own time and 'forced' to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat. Three other witnesses said he was 'spoken to in a despicable manner,' '100% victimised' and 'never spoken to respectfully'. Mr Heath said in his findings following the inquest that L/Cpl Mongan was 'on occasions treated and spoken to by his chain of command in a way that caused him distress'. The coroner said L/Cpl Mongan was not checked on in his accommodation block over the Christmas period, and had been due to start a deployment with 77 Brigade in January, but was not reported absent by them 'as he should have been' from January 7. The Centre for Military Justice, which represents Ms Mongan, said the last person to speak to L/Cpl Mongan in the early hours of January 2 described him as distressed, crying and drunk. They said: 'Bernie was supposed to be checked on over the Christmas period while he was staying alone in his Army accommodation – astonishingly one of the men Bernie had accused of mistreating him was assigned to do those checks and he admitted at this inquest that he did not perform a single one of them. For that failure, he was ordered to perform an 'extra duty' as punishment.' The inquest heard he had attempted to kill himself several years earlier when his marriage was breaking down. In the days before he was last seen in January 2020 he gave away his Nintendo to a friend's son, told another friend he 'had bought pills but not taken them' and made two donations to a suicide charity. Mr Heath said: 'However I also find his previous attempt to take his own life was caused by feeling he was not going to see his children again – this was not the case at this time.' He also said L/Cpl Mongan was looking forward to his new deployment and had made a list of 'things to do in 2020″ on a post-it note which was found in his room. The inquest heard the two most likely causes of death were considered to be self-inflicted poisoning, after barbiturates were found in L/Cpl's system – one of which was bought illegally – or a sudden abnormality of the heart, but a Home Office pathologist told the inquest he could not say which of these was the most likely. Dr Nigel Cooper said: 'I've thought about this long and hard but I just don't think I can, I don't think I have enough positive evidence to go in one direction or the other.' Speaking after the inquest, Beth Mongan said: 'I was expecting (the open conclusion), mainly due to the Army's failure of leaving him for so long but I've come to my own conclusions over the years. It's hard not having it for the kids.' She told reporters: 'Knowing Bernie, and he did suffer with his mental health over the years and his treatment in the Army, I believe he took his own life. 'I believe (the Army) failed him, they didn't investigate the bullying accusations they way they should have done.' Ms Mongan said the fact that L/Cpl Mongan was undiscovered for three weeks on a military site was 'unforgivable,' adding: 'I know they've apologised but that doesn't take away the fact that they failed him on that front. It forever will be unforgivable.' An Army spokesperson said: 'Our deepest sympathies remain with the family and friends of Lance Corporal Bernard 'Bernie' Mongan. His loss has been profoundly felt throughout the Army, but we recognise that no one has felt this tragedy more deeply than those closest to him. 'The Army accepted and is actioning all of the recommendations identified by the Service Inquiry report into Bernie's death. We deeply regret and apologise for the shortfalls in our duty of care towards him, which were clearly unacceptable. We're grateful to HM coroner for the thorough and diligent examination of the circumstances surrounding his death. 'Bernie's service will not be forgotten, and we owe it to his memory, to his loved ones, and to all who serve to ensure that we consistently and diligently provide the duty of care our people need and deserve.'
ITV News
19-06-2025
- ITV News
Family criticises 'unforgivable' delay in finding soldier's body at Catterick Garrison
The family of a soldier found dead in his barracks three weeks after he was last seen say it is "unforgivable" his body lay undiscovered for so long. The body of father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan, 33, was discovered decomposing in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison on 23 January 2020. An inquest, held at North Yorkshire Coroners' Court in Northallerton, heard L/Cpl Mongan had "obviously been dead for some time" when he was found, and had last been seen around 27 December. Doctors were unable to determine a cause of death because of the condition of his body. The hearing, which started on 2 June, was told of claims L/Cpl Mongan was bullied by senior officers and that the family believed he had taken his own life. Concluding the inquest, coroner Jon Heath said he was unable to say with sufficient certainty that L/Cpl Mongan had taken his own life and recorded an open conclusion. Speaking afterwards, L/Cpl Mongan's wife Beth criticised the army's failings. 'I know they've apologised, but it doesn't take away the fact that they've failed him in that front and forever will be unforgivable,' she said. The inquest heard evidence from former corporal Stephen Timmerman, who lived in the same accommodation block as L/Cpl Mongan, that he was 'downgraded' by superior officers, and that 'bullying would be an understatement'. After an Army investigation into L/Cpl Mongan's death in 2021, Mrs Mongan said her husband "felt bullied" and was "telling people he was afraid". The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had attempted to kill himself several years earlier when his marriage was breaking down. In the days before he was last seen in January 2020 he gave away his Nintendo to a friend's son, told another friend he 'had bought pills but not taken them,' and made two donations to a suicide charity. The two most likely causes of death were self-inflicted poisoning, after barbiturates were found in L/Cpl's system – one of which was bought illegally – or a sudden abnormality of the heart. A Home Office pathologist told the inquest he could not say which of these was most likely. Dr Nigel Cooper said: 'I've thought about this long and hard but I just don't think I can, I don't think I have enough positive evidence to go in one direction or the other.' "He was an amazing dad" Speaking outside court after the verdict, Mrs Mongan said she was expecting the open conclusion 'mainly due to the army's failure of leaving [L/Cpl Mongan] for so long'. She said: 'I've come to my own conclusions over the years, it's hard not having it for the kids. 'It's been a rollercoaster. 'He was funny, he would try to make anybody joke, anybody laugh, he had a rather weird but wicked sense of humour. He was an amazing dad.' Emma Norton, director of the Centre for Military Justice, represented Mrs Mongan outside court. She said it was "shocking and appalling" that L/Cpl Mongan lay dead for so long. "That failure has had terrible consequences today because it has meant that the coroner cannot be satisfied as to the medical cause of Bernie's death," she said. 'However, his wife Beth has been in court every single day and has heard and read all of the evidence for herself, and the coroner did find today that Bernie was subjected to treatment and was spoken to in a manner by his chain of command that caused him distress. 'The other word for that in his wife's opinion is bullying." She added: "It remains the view of his wife that Bernie died by his own hand and that he was in lots of ways very badly let down by the army.' ' We deeply regret and apologise' The Army said it was taking action to prevent similar cases. A spokesperson said: "We deeply regret and apologise for the shortfalls in our duty of care towards him, which were clearly unacceptable. We're grateful to HM Coroner for the thorough and diligent examination of the circumstances surrounding his death. 'Bernie's service will not be forgotten, and we owe it to his memory, to his loved ones, and to all who serve to ensure that we consistently and diligently provide the duty of care our people need and deserve.'
BBC News
19-06-2025
- BBC News
Bernard Mongan's family say inquest 'enormous disappointment'
A coroner has said he was unable to determine whether a British soldier found dead after being missing for three weeks had intended to take his own life.L/Cpl Bernard Mongan was found in his barracks at Catterick Garrison on 23 January 2020 after making several complaints of bullying by his superior father-of-three's cause of death was "unascertained" after a post-mortem examination, which revealed he could have been dead for up to three weeks before he was Mongan's wife said she believed he took his own life having been "badly let down by the Army" and the family described the verdict as "an enormous disappointment". Recording an open conclusion, senior coroner for North Yorkshire Jon Heath said it was "regrettable" he was unable to "go further" than the post-mortem concluded that "on occasion Bernie was subject to treatment, and spoken to, by some of his chain of command in a manner that caused him distress".However, despite numerous previous suicide attempts, Mr Heath said there was "insufficient evidence for me to conclude it was likely [Mr Mongan] took the drugs he was known to have taken, and the level of alcohol, with the express intention of ending his own life".The Army said the delay in discovering Mr Mongan's body was "unacceptable and profoundly regrettable".The Royal Signals soldier, who had served in Iraq, had been spending his Christmas leave in his room at Catterick Barracks, but was due to start an attachment with the Army's 77 Brigade in Berkshire on 7 January 2020. However, neither camp noticed that he was missing. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
16-06-2025
- BBC News
Soldier made charity donation shortly before his death
A soldier found dead in his room on a British Army base made uncharacteristic donations to a suicide charity shortly before his death, an inquest heard.L/Cpl Bernard Mongan, whose body was not discovered for three weeks, was found in his barracks at Catterick Garrison on 23 January 2020. At a three-week inquest at North Yorkshire Coroners' Court, evidence was given by the 33-year-old's wife, Beth Mongan, who was separated from him at the time of his death. "He donated his time to charity but did not particularly make cash donations," she told the inquest. Mrs Mongan told the inquest her last contact with him was on New Year's Day 2020 when he made a video call to their about L/Cpl Mongan's mood during the call, Mrs Mongan described him as "overly happy" and "a bit all over the place". "He tried to make as many plans as possible and overload himself," she said."It was a happy high but manic - he wasn't like that generally." After his death, Mrs Mongan said she received a message from one of his friends saying he had made two donations to a fundraiser for the suicide awareness charity on 1 and 2 January. The soldier had also given away his handheld games console to a friend's son shortly before his death, she told the hearing."That Nintendo was like a prize possession," she said."I thought it was a bit strange."The Army gave her L/Cpl Mongan's possessions after his death, which included his laptop. On there, she told the inquest she found emails from 2017 between the soldier and a proposed seller of a drug intended for those wanting to end their life. During the communications, the inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan claimed he was terminally ill and "looking for a way out".There was no proof a sale had taken place, the inquest heard. 'No evidence of bullying' The inquest also heard from CSM Ian Allan, who investigated the allegation L/Cpl Mongan was being bullied at Catterick Garrison. He said the soldier, known as Bernie, had come to him with complaints that his leave kept getting cancelled and he was "being treated differently" by two Allan launched an investigation in September 2019 and spoke to those involved."My genuine gut instinct was that Bernie wasn't being bullied," he told the inquest."There was no evidence that he was being bullied."He said the soldier's leave request had been denied on one occasion due to a training did make a doctor's appointment for L/Cpl Mongan after seeing him "crying uncontrollably" in his room, the inquest said he continued to offer the soldier support until the last time he saw him in mid-November, when he went on extended leave. The inquest you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line for support. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
