Bernard Mongan’s family say inquest ‘enormous disappointment’

The family of a soldier who was found dead in his barracks have described an open verdict at the inquest into his death as “an enormous disappointment”.

Coroner Jon Heath said he was unable to determine whether L/Cpl Bernard Mongan, 33, who had made several complaints of bullying by his superior officers, had intended to kill himself.

The father-of-three’s body was found in his room at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire on 23 January 2020, having laid undiscovered for up to three weeks.

The coroner said the cause of his death was “unascertained” despite a post-mortem examination, but Mr Mongan’s widow Beth said she believed he took his own life having been “badly let down by the Army”.

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 findings.

The family’s solicitor, Emma Norton, said in a statement: “For the family there will always remain unanswered questions and today’s open verdict is an enormous disappointment.

“Beth Mongan’s view is that Bernie took his own life and that he was very badly let down by the Army – an institution to which he had committed so many years of his life.”

An Army spokesperson said they were actioning all of the recommendations made by a Service Inquiry report into Mr Mongan’s death, adding: “We deeply regret and apologise for the shortfalls in our duty of care towards him, which were clearly unacceptable.”

Mr Heath 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”.

Mrs Mongan said she believed her husband “took his own life while in crisis”.

She said the failure to discover his body for three weeks “remains a source of enormous distress to the family and it means our children may never get answers”.

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.

During the inquest several of Mr Morgan’s fellow soldiers had alleged he was bullied, with one of them telling the hearing that complaints of bullying were “an understatement”.

However, a sergeant claimed he would “catastrophise, particularly over the way he felt he was being treated by the Army”.

Speaking after the conclusion, Mrs Mongan said: “All I can do is hope that the multiple lessons we have been assured have been learned by this case mean another family will never have to go through this.”

Mr Heath granted legal representatives more time to make submissions before deciding whether to issue a prevention of future deaths report.