Olivia Perks death: Sandhurst cadet felt she was 'on trial'

Olivia Perks, 21, was found dead in her room at the Sandhurst military academy

An Army officer cadet found hanged felt she was "on trial" for spending the night in a colour sergeant's room days before her death, an inquest has heard.

Olivia Perks, 21, was found dead in her room at Sandhurst military academy in Berkshire on 6 February 2019.

Berkshire Coroner's Court heard she had spent the night with Colour Sgt Griffith after the Falklands Ball, though both denied any sexual activity.

A friend told the inquest Ms Perks had felt "under the microscope" afterwards.

The next morning, Ms Perks missed a parade and had to walk past colleagues in her outfit from the night before, the hearing at Reading Town Hall was told.

Later, she hit her head against a bed frame and "trashed" her room in front of colleagues, it heard.

Olivia Perks was a cadet at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst

Her friend, Capt Madeleine Brownlow, told the inquest she thought Ms Perks had been "shouted at" by the regimental sergeant major on her way back from the colour sergeant's room.

She added: "My impression is that she had been sort of interviewed and persistently questioned... over two days.

"She felt under the microscope. My impression was that they were trying to work out whether he was in the right or the wrong and whether he should remain in the academy.

"Her welfare was collateral damage."

When asked whether this approach was too heavy-handed, she replied: "It is almost like she was on trial."

"He definitely was a mentor figure and she felt a lot of guilt about what happened. She felt like she was going to cause him to lose his job," she said.

She said fellow officer cadets were banned from speaking to her about what happened by the platoon commander at a briefing to inform them Colour Sgt Griffith had been suspended.

Ms Perks was described by her mother as "the most wonderful, vivacious and captivating girl"

The inquest also heard Ms Perks' friends were uncomfortable with her being back on parade just two days after she made a "significant" suicide attempt during a Royal Engineers' visit in July 2018.

On Monday, the hearing was told Ms Perks was deemed at "low risk of reoccurrence" after her previous attempt to take her own life.

The inquest continues.

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