Sandhurst death cadet Olivia Perks ‘thought she faced discharge’

Olivia Perks was found dead in her room at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst

An Army officer cadet found hanged at Sandhurst thought she was going to be discharged, a coroner has been told.

Olivia Perks's body was discovered at the Royal Military Academy on 6 February, a pre-inquest hearing heard.

Michael Rowlinson QC, representing Ms Perks's mother, said: "In the last few days Olivia thought she was going to be discharged."

The 21-year-old was thought to have been involved in a minor disciplinary incident before her death.

During the hour long-hearing at Reading Town Hall, senior coroner Heidi Connor heard submissions on the scope of the inquiry and witnesses to be called.

Mrs Connor said she was "not particularly impressed" it would take 19 months for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to carry out its own Service Inquiry (SI) report into Ms Perks's death.

An SI is held after a military incident which results in death in order to understand the circumstances, and any changes to prevent it happening again.

Mrs Connor said "it was not ideal to proceed" before it had been completed and said she invited the MoD to give her the earliest possible date it would be finished.

At a previous hearing a provisional cause of death was given as "asphyxia due to hanging".

Ms Perks, who joined the academy in May 2018, was in the last term of a 44-week course for officer cadets.

Another pre-inquest hearing will take place in January.