Bernard Mongan: Widow believes bullied soldier may have killed himself

L/Cpl Mongan had complained that he was being bullied before his death

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been accused of trying to limit the scope of an inquest into the death of a soldier who had complained of being bullied.

Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan was found dead in barracks at Catterick, North Yorkshire, on 23 January 2020 - three weeks after he was last seen.

His widow's barrister told a coroners' court on Friday there was "clear evidence" he may have killed himself.

The MoD said previously "the evidence points away from self-inflicted death".

The hearing at North Yorkshire Coroners' Court was told the 33-year-old had previously harmed himself and attempted to kill himself.

However, it was told the MoD made submissions in February 2021 that "it would be wrong to consider issues that contributed to self-inflicted death".

'Underlying risk'

Barrister Jesse Nicholls, representing L/Cpl Mongan's widow Bethany Mongan, accused the MoD of "trying to restrict" the scope of the inquest.

He said there was "clear evidence raising at the very least the possibility that L/Cpl Mongan's death was self-inflicted".

"Among them is the background contact he had with relevant professionals, indicating underlying risk of self-harm and suicide," he said.

"He indicated he didn't wish to be alone at Christmas that year."

Mr Nicholls said the possibility of death by suicide "must be central to the scope of the inquest and that includes proper investigation of the reason or reasons" behind L/Cpl Mongan's death.

An Army investigation into L/Cpl Mongan's death identified serious failings in its duty of care

The Army previously said the delay in discovering he was dead was "unacceptable and profoundly regrettable".

It also accepted that L/Cpl Mongan's complaints of bullying and concerns about his welfare had not been properly investigated or passed on.

The court heard L/Cpl Mongan had been the victim of a serious assault in Catterick in November 2018, which was investigated by the Royal Military Police and had resulted in one person being imprisoned.

Barrister Adam Farrer, representing the MoD, told the court there had been "no suspicious circumstances" surrounding L/Cpl Mongan's death.

He said the decision to look at the circumstances around his mental health before his death would depend on the coroner's "view as to whether there's sufficient evidence of whether the death was self-inflicted".

But he said the MOD "does not accept" that an Article 2 inquest, which is held in cases where the state or its agents have failed to protect the deceased against a human threat or other risk, should be held.

An Army investigation into L/Cpl Mongan's death, published in July 2021, identified serious failings in its duty of care.

The inquest will resume at a further hearing in February.