Latest news with #Coroner'sCourt
Wales Online
7 hours ago
- Wales Online
Welsh father died in Turkey after being escorted from plane
Welsh father died in Turkey after being escorted from plane Ben Crook, 32, became separated from his family after he was removed from a flight, but his family later discovered he had died Ben Crook was reported missing in Turkey in an appeal widely circulated online A father died after falling from a height while on holiday in Turkey after he was removed from a flight for intoxicated behaviour and was separated from his family. It was only after his father travelled to Turkey to find out what had happened that they learnt he had died. Ben Crook, 32, was reported missing after he flew out to Antalya with his partner Jess Jenkins and their two children on September 23. Having drunk alcohol and taken cocaine, he behaved erratically on the flight by shouting at an air steward and smashing his and Ms Jenkins' phones, the inquest heard. When the plane landed in Turkey on September 24, Mr Crook, of Abertridwr, Caerphilly, was escorted from the plane and separated from Ms Jenkins, who was told to leave the airport and took a taxi to her hotel with her children. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter. An inquest at Gwent Coroner's Court on Tuesday heard Mr Crook never reached the hotel and failed to turn up for the return flight home on September 30. As a result of his son's disappearance, Mr Crook's father travelled to Turkey and discovered his son had died, having fallen from a height and suffered fatal injuries. A post mortem examination carried out at the Antalya Forensic Institute on September 24 revealed Mr Crook had suffered external injuries and lacerations which were in keeping with a fall. He died at Antalya Training and Research Hospital at 2.15am on September 25. Article continues below Mr Crook's body was repatriated to the UK and a further post mortem examination was carried out at Grange University Hospital by Dr Majid Rashid on October 22. The examination revealed the deceased had suffered head injuries and bruising to his upper limbs as well as cuts and multiple abrasions to his abdominal wall. There had been an incision to the chest wall which suggested a chest tube had been inserted to drain fluid. The vault of Mr Crook's skull had been fractured, there was damage and bleeding to the brain and the pelvis had been fractured on both sides. A toxicology report revealed the presence of cocaine, alcohol, ketamine and cocaethylene in Mr Crook's blood, with the ketamine likely administered during his treatment. Dr Rashid recorded the medical cause of death as fractured skull and pelvis caused by blunt trauma as a result of a fall. In a statement read out to the court by senior coroner Caroline Saunders, Ms Jenkins said Mr Crook had started drinking alcohol before they arrived at the airport and bought duty free alcohol at the airport which they planned to drink at their hotel. The flight was delayed so the couple began drinking the duty free alcohol. Ms Jenkins said her partner was a "nervous flier" but they were "chatting and joking" before take off. During the flight, she said Mr Crook's behaviour changed and he began shouting at a male steward, demanding alcohol. He then broke both his and Ms Jenkins' mobile phones and as a result of his behaviour he was escorted off the plane and became separated from his partner. Speaking about Mr Crook's alcohol and drug use, Ms Jenkins said her partner used cocaine recreationally and only did so when he had been drinking. Mr Crook's sister Amy said her brother had had issues with drugs and alcohol and his consumption had increased in the months before his death. She said her brother also suffered with his mental health, which was impacted by his drug and alcohol use, but Ms Crook said there was nothing to suggest he would take his own life and leave his two children without a father. Upon returning from Turkey, Mr Crook's father realised he had received a message in his Facebook Messenger spam folder which appeared to be from his son, in which he was trying to find out the name of the hotel where his partner was staying. There was a further message again requesting contact. Members of Mr Crook's family had contact from a number of unidentified individuals in Turkey who claimed they had seen the deceased before his death. One woman who made contact with Ms Jenkins wrote: "Hello, we have just seen your post about Ben being missing. We saw him on September 24 at lunchtime. He approached me and my husband for help while walking near Kaleici Harbour. He said he smashed up his phone and had brought a new one but it was not ringing for some reason. He used my phone to send a message to his friend and we gave him our number if he needed more help. He looked shaken and hungover. After the Facebook message and ringing his friend, he crossed the harbour and walked, we presumed, to the police station for help." Friends and family of Mr Crook later received messages from people, including photographs of what appeared to be Mr Crook lying supine on rocky ground at the bottom of a tall building. Others suggested Mr Crook had fallen at around 6.20pm on September 24, while he was smoking. There was no suggestion of third party involvement. Delivering her conclusion, Ms Saunders said: "(Alcohol and drugs) may have caused disorientation and poor judgement but this is insufficient to determine he fell as a result of the drugs he had taken. "I find the fall was an accident, the exact details of which are unknown... Article continues below "On September 24, 2024, Ben Crook fell from height whilst on holiday in Turkey and sustained severe head and pelvic injuries and died on September 25, 2024. The conclusion I reach is that of an accident." The coroner offered her sincere condolences to Mr Crook's family in the courtroom.
South Wales Guardian
03-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Soldier found dead in barracks was ‘degraded' by senior officers
A friend of Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan said 'bullying would be an understatement' as he described how the father-of-three was 'shouted, screamed and swore at', made to clean senior officers' cars in his own time and 'forced' to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat. L/Cpl Mongan's decomposing body was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, three weeks after he was last seen. An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court has heard his cause of death is still 'unascertained' as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine. On Tuesday, 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, 33, was given a military Land Rover to clean that was not his. 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 said that on the same exercise L/Cpl Mongan was told to help other departments set up their radio masts but was refused help with his own and told to 'do it himself'. Mr Timmerman said L/Cpl Mongan was put on remedial physical training after failing a fitness test, but was also 'forced to go for an extra run on the same day and given no time for having lunch and breakfast'. 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'. He told the inquest L/Cpl Mongan had issues with two sergeants and was 'undermined' and 'come down on very harshly', saying he had been considering a service complaint. Asked if he was bullied, Mr Timmerman said: 'I would say that was an understatement.' He told the hearing: 'They spoke to Bernie as if he was inconsequential,' adding that he had been spoken to 'like a piece of shit' and 'degraded'. Asked if he was aware one officer 'had been posting videos on a WhatsApp group of humiliations of Bernie', Mr Timmerman said: 'I didn't know about that.' The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had been selected for a detachment with 77 Brigade, which was due to start in January 2020, but that his room at Catterick would be 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 him, he was happy, he was ready to move away.' The hearing was told L/Cpl Mongan had separated from his wife and spent Christmas at another soldier's house. Mr Timmerman said he last saw him at the barracks on December 27, telling the inquest: 'He was very happy and couldn't wait to go for a detachment. He said: 'Have a good New Year, hopefully see you soon.'' The witness said he returned from a trip to Scotland on January 5 but was not expecting to see L/Cpl Mongan as he was due to be on detachment by then. The inquest heard he started to notice an 'unusual smell' in the block after a few days, and on January 22 followed it down L/Cpl Mongan's corridor to realise it was coming from inside his room. Mr Timmerman said the other rooms on L/Cpl Mongan's corridors were occupied but the soldiers were 'always away for work'. He said once he realised where the smell was coming from he spoke to a superior officer about getting the keys for the room, and the two of them went in with a civilian staff member the next morning to find L/Cpl Mongan's 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. Former Royal Marine Jules Burnard, who struck up a friendship with him when they met at the facility, said he had last seen L/Cpl Mongan on January 1 2020, and that he had been 'very positive' and looking forward to the detachment. Mr Burnard said L/Cpl Mongan had opened up to him about being bullied, and how that had affected his mental health. He told the hearing: 'He was a loveable, likeable, upbeat person. There was nothing not to like about Bernie.' The inquest, which is scheduled to last for three weeks, continues.
South Wales Argus
03-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Soldier found dead in barracks was ‘degraded' by senior officers
A friend of Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan said 'bullying would be an understatement' as he described how the father-of-three was 'shouted, screamed and swore at', made to clean senior officers' cars in his own time and 'forced' to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat. L/Cpl Mongan's decomposing body was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, three weeks after he was last seen. An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court has heard his cause of death is still 'unascertained' as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine. On Tuesday, 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, 33, was given a military Land Rover to clean that was not his. 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 said that on the same exercise L/Cpl Mongan was told to help other departments set up their radio masts but was refused help with his own and told to 'do it himself'. Mr Timmerman said L/Cpl Mongan was put on remedial physical training after failing a fitness test, but was also 'forced to go for an extra run on the same day and given no time for having lunch and breakfast'. 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'. He told the inquest L/Cpl Mongan had issues with two sergeants and was 'undermined' and 'come down on very harshly', saying he had been considering a service complaint. Asked if he was bullied, Mr Timmerman said: 'I would say that was an understatement.' He told the hearing: 'They spoke to Bernie as if he was inconsequential,' adding that he had been spoken to 'like a piece of shit' and 'degraded'. Asked if he was aware one officer 'had been posting videos on a WhatsApp group of humiliations of Bernie', Mr Timmerman said: 'I didn't know about that.' The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had been selected for a detachment with 77 Brigade, which was due to start in January 2020, but that his room at Catterick would be 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 him, he was happy, he was ready to move away.' The hearing was told L/Cpl Mongan had separated from his wife and spent Christmas at another soldier's house. Mr Timmerman said he last saw him at the barracks on December 27, telling the inquest: 'He was very happy and couldn't wait to go for a detachment. He said: 'Have a good New Year, hopefully see you soon.'' The witness said he returned from a trip to Scotland on January 5 but was not expecting to see L/Cpl Mongan as he was due to be on detachment by then. The inquest heard he started to notice an 'unusual smell' in the block after a few days, and on January 22 followed it down L/Cpl Mongan's corridor to realise it was coming from inside his room. Mr Timmerman said the other rooms on L/Cpl Mongan's corridors were occupied but the soldiers were 'always away for work'. He said once he realised where the smell was coming from he spoke to a superior officer about getting the keys for the room, and the two of them went in with a civilian staff member the next morning to find L/Cpl Mongan's 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. Former Royal Marine Jules Burnard, who struck up a friendship with him when they met at the facility, said he had last seen L/Cpl Mongan on January 1 2020, and that he had been 'very positive' and looking forward to the detachment. Mr Burnard said L/Cpl Mongan had opened up to him about being bullied, and how that had affected his mental health. He told the hearing: 'He was a loveable, likeable, upbeat person. There was nothing not to like about Bernie.' The inquest, which is scheduled to last for three weeks, continues.
Glasgow Times
03-06-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Soldier found dead in barracks was ‘degraded' by senior officers
A friend of Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan said 'bullying would be an understatement' as he described how the father-of-three was 'shouted, screamed and swore at', made to clean senior officers' cars in his own time and 'forced' to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat. L/Cpl Mongan's decomposing body was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, three weeks after he was last seen. An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court has heard his cause of death is still 'unascertained' as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine. On Tuesday, 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, 33, was given a military Land Rover to clean that was not his. 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 said that on the same exercise L/Cpl Mongan was told to help other departments set up their radio masts but was refused help with his own and told to 'do it himself'. Mr Timmerman said L/Cpl Mongan was put on remedial physical training after failing a fitness test, but was also 'forced to go for an extra run on the same day and given no time for having lunch and breakfast'. 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'. He told the inquest L/Cpl Mongan had issues with two sergeants and was 'undermined' and 'come down on very harshly', saying he had been considering a service complaint. Asked if he was bullied, Mr Timmerman said: 'I would say that was an understatement.' He told the hearing: 'They spoke to Bernie as if he was inconsequential,' adding that he had been spoken to 'like a piece of shit' and 'degraded'. Asked if he was aware one officer 'had been posting videos on a WhatsApp group of humiliations of Bernie', Mr Timmerman said: 'I didn't know about that.' The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had been selected for a detachment with 77 Brigade, which was due to start in January 2020, but that his room at Catterick would be 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 him, he was happy, he was ready to move away.' The hearing was told L/Cpl Mongan had separated from his wife and spent Christmas at another soldier's house. Mr Timmerman said he last saw him at the barracks on December 27, telling the inquest: 'He was very happy and couldn't wait to go for a detachment. He said: 'Have a good New Year, hopefully see you soon.'' The witness said he returned from a trip to Scotland on January 5 but was not expecting to see L/Cpl Mongan as he was due to be on detachment by then. The inquest heard he started to notice an 'unusual smell' in the block after a few days, and on January 22 followed it down L/Cpl Mongan's corridor to realise it was coming from inside his room. Mr Timmerman said the other rooms on L/Cpl Mongan's corridors were occupied but the soldiers were 'always away for work'. He said once he realised where the smell was coming from he spoke to a superior officer about getting the keys for the room, and the two of them went in with a civilian staff member the next morning to find L/Cpl Mongan's 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. Former Royal Marine Jules Burnard, who struck up a friendship with him when they met at the facility, said he had last seen L/Cpl Mongan on January 1 2020, and that he had been 'very positive' and looking forward to the detachment. Mr Burnard said L/Cpl Mongan had opened up to him about being bullied, and how that had affected his mental health. He told the hearing: 'He was a loveable, likeable, upbeat person. There was nothing not to like about Bernie.' The inquest, which is scheduled to last for three weeks, continues.
Leader Live
03-06-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Soldier found dead in barracks was ‘degraded' by senior officers
A friend of Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan said 'bullying would be an understatement' as he described how the father-of-three was 'shouted, screamed and swore at', made to clean senior officers' cars in his own time and 'forced' to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat. L/Cpl Mongan's decomposing body was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, three weeks after he was last seen. An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court has heard his cause of death is still 'unascertained' as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine. On Tuesday, 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, 33, was given a military Land Rover to clean that was not his. 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 said that on the same exercise L/Cpl Mongan was told to help other departments set up their radio masts but was refused help with his own and told to 'do it himself'. Mr Timmerman said L/Cpl Mongan was put on remedial physical training after failing a fitness test, but was also 'forced to go for an extra run on the same day and given no time for having lunch and breakfast'. 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'. He told the inquest L/Cpl Mongan had issues with two sergeants and was 'undermined' and 'come down on very harshly', saying he had been considering a service complaint. Asked if he was bullied, Mr Timmerman said: 'I would say that was an understatement.' He told the hearing: 'They spoke to Bernie as if he was inconsequential,' adding that he had been spoken to 'like a piece of shit' and 'degraded'. Asked if he was aware one officer 'had been posting videos on a WhatsApp group of humiliations of Bernie', Mr Timmerman said: 'I didn't know about that.' The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had been selected for a detachment with 77 Brigade, which was due to start in January 2020, but that his room at Catterick would be 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 him, he was happy, he was ready to move away.' The hearing was told L/Cpl Mongan had separated from his wife and spent Christmas at another soldier's house. Mr Timmerman said he last saw him at the barracks on December 27, telling the inquest: 'He was very happy and couldn't wait to go for a detachment. He said: 'Have a good New Year, hopefully see you soon.'' The witness said he returned from a trip to Scotland on January 5 but was not expecting to see L/Cpl Mongan as he was due to be on detachment by then. The inquest heard he started to notice an 'unusual smell' in the block after a few days, and on January 22 followed it down L/Cpl Mongan's corridor to realise it was coming from inside his room. Mr Timmerman said the other rooms on L/Cpl Mongan's corridors were occupied but the soldiers were 'always away for work'. He said once he realised where the smell was coming from he spoke to a superior officer about getting the keys for the room, and the two of them went in with a civilian staff member the next morning to find L/Cpl Mongan's 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. Former Royal Marine Jules Burnard, who struck up a friendship with him when they met at the facility, said he had last seen L/Cpl Mongan on January 1 2020, and that he had been 'very positive' and looking forward to the detachment. Mr Burnard said L/Cpl Mongan had opened up to him about being bullied, and how that had affected his mental health. He told the hearing: 'He was a loveable, likeable, upbeat person. There was nothing not to like about Bernie.' The inquest, which is scheduled to last for three weeks, continues.
