Soldier did not harm himself before death in Catterick

A soldier whose dead body lay undiscovered for three weeks in his bed at an Army barracks had not harmed himself before he died, an inquest has heard.

On the first day of the inquest into the death of 33-year-old L/Cpl Bernard Mongan at Catterick Barracks in January 2020, North Yorkshire Coroners’ Court heard that the soldier had not been seen since Christmas.

Opening the inquest, senior coroner Jon Heath considered whether the soldier could have died from poisoning after barbiturates including Promethezene and Phenobarbital, which have a sedating effect, were found in his system.

But paramedic Paul Spence told the court there was “no evidence of self-harm or suicide”.

Mr Spence, from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “He was found by friends in his bed and had not been seen at work since Christmas time.

“There were no empty medication bottles nearby or signs of self-harm and had severe stages of decomposition, which made it harder to work out his death.”

Also giving evidence, pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper said the state in which L/Cpl Mongan’s body was found on 23 January 2020 meant it was difficult to determine how he had died.

“The levels of the two drugs can’t kill him alone and would require a third substance,” he told the court.

“There was an empty Jack Daniel’s whiskey bottle found in his room…but no evidence of when or how quickly the alcohol was consumed.”

“I’ve thought about this, and I just don’t have enough evidence to pull you in one way or another,” Dr Cooper explained.

He added that there had been nothing such as problems with L/Cpl Mongan’s heart or brain to explain his sudden death, and no injuries had been found on his body.

“If he had taken the alcohol and drugs he could have died, but I just don’t know if he did,” Dr Cooper added.

The inquest into the death of L/Cpl Mongan also heard from the soldier’s mother, Mary Mongan, who called her son a “dedicated father of three”.

Ms Mongan told the court: “Family meant everything to him and he meant everything to us.

“Even though he has gone, we are still proud of all his achievement, as we had a very close bond.

“It’s devastating for all of us that he is no longer with us. His death has left us with so many questions as it came as such a shock for us all.”

Meanwhile, L/Cpl Mongan’s wife, Beth Mongan, who was separated from him at the time of his death, said the 33-year-old “had a wicked sense of humour”.

He was “an absolutely amazing dad” and was “loving and ambitious” for his three children, she said.

“He would read them bedtime stories every night and left them with a love of reading, too.

“Even though we were separated, we still spent a lot of time together. He was a sweetheart.”

The inquest, which is expected to last three weeks, continues.