Soldier who lay dead in barracks for 3 weeks ‘degraded by senior officers who posted humiliating vids in WhatsApp group'

Scottish Sun

2 days ago

TRAGIC END Soldier who lay dead in barracks for 3 weeks 'degraded by senior officers who posted humiliating vids in WhatsApp group'
A SOLDIER found dead in his barracks three weeks after he vanished was "degraded" by his superior officers, an inquest has heard.
Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan, 33, was reportedly "shouted, screamed and swore at" and made to clean officers' cars in his own time.
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Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan was discovered dead three weeks after he was last seen
Credit: PA
The dad-of-three was also "forced" to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat, an inquest heard.
One of the senior officers would then allegedly post videos of his "humiliations" in a WhatsApp group.
L/Cpl Mongan was dead discovered in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, on January 23, 2020 - three weeks after he was last seen.
His cause of death is still "unascertained" as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine.
Former corporal Stephen Timmerman, who lived in the same accommodation block as L/Cpl Mongan, told the hearing he "wasn't treated the same way" as other soldiers in their squadron.
He said: "He was given tasks that he shouldn't have been given, and just the general way he was spoken to by higher ranks.
"His seniors, quite a few times, he would be left to do their work for them in his own time."
Mr Timmerman said he could remember three occasions when L/Cpl Mongan was given a military Land Rover to clean that was not his and claimed he was "degraded" by the officers.
He said that on a military exercise around three months before his death, L/Cpl Mongan was "shouted and screamed at" in front of other soldiers by his own superior officers in his own department for carrying out an order from another department.
Mr Timmerman, who has since retired from the Army, said: "It was very aggressive, very abrupt, some swearing.
"It was very harsh language and it wasn't his fault, he was carrying out an order he was told to do."
He described L/Cpl Mongan as a "cuddly teddy bear" who may have been a "soft target" because he was "a nice guy who took things easier".
Mr Timmerman told the inquest L/Cpl Mongan had issues with two sergeants and was "undermined" and "come down on very harshly".
Asked if he was bullied, he added: "I would say that was an understatement."
He also told the hearing the officers spoke to L/Cpl Mongan as if he was "inconsequential" and "a piece of s***".
The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had separated from his wife and spent Christmas at another soldier's house.
He had been selected for a detachment with 77 Brigade, which was due to start in January 2020.
However, his room at Catterick was kept for him while he was away so he could use it for visits with his three daughters.
Mr Timmerman said there was a "noticeable change" in the soldier, who seemed "happy" that he was moving away.
He told the court the last time he saw him was on December 27, where the pair wished each other a Happy New Year.
Mr Timmerman returned from a trip to Scotland on January 5 and believed L/Cpl Mongan had moved away already.
But a few days into his return, he noticed an "unusual smell" in the block.
On January 22, Mr Timmerman followed the scent to L/Cpl Mongan's corridor where he realised it was coming from inside the room.
All the other rooms were occupied but at the time, the soldiers were always away for work.
The witness raised the alarm and entered the room with a superior officer and civilian staff member the next morning.
They discovered L/Cpl Mongan's decomposed body lying face down on his bed.
The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had tried to kill himself several times and spent time at a recovery centre run by Help For Heroes.
An empty litre bottle of Jack Daniels was found in his room, along with body-building supplements.
Tests on his body found a type of barbiturate in his system, with the dad's two most likely causes of death considered to be poisoning or a sudden abnormality of the heart.
The inquest, which is scheduled to last for three weeks, continues.
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