Latest news with #Mongan
Metro
19-06-2025
- Metro
Widow 'disappointed' her soldier husband's body laid in barracks for three weeks
The widow of a soldier who died in his barracks has said it is 'unforgivable' that it took three weeks to find his body. Father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan's decomposing body was discovered on January 23, 2020, in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. His widow Beth Mongan believes he 'took his own life while in crisis' after complaining of being bullied by senior officers. But senior coroner Jon Heath said at his inquest on Thursday it was 'not possible to determine' how Mongan died. He recorded an open conclusion. The inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court had heard that doctors couldn't be sure of the 33-year-old's medical cause of death due to the decomposition of his body. Beth, who was separated from Mongan at the time of his death, called the conclusion 'an enormous disappointment' and said her husband was 'very badly let down by the Army'. Other soldiers and officers told the inquest how Mongan had suffered bullying behaviour in the barracks. One former corporal Stephen Timmerman said 'bullying would be an understatement'. He described how the lance corporal was 'shouted, screamed and swore at' and 'forced' to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat. Three other witnesses said he was 'spoken to in a despicable manner,' '100% victimised' and 'never spoken to respectfully'. The coroner's found that Mongan had 'on occasions [been] treated and spoken to by his chain of command in a way that caused him distress'. The last person to speak to Mongan described him as distressed, crying and drunk. In the days leading up to when he was last seen, he gave away his Nintendo to a friend's son and told another friend he 'had bought pills but not taken them'. He also made two donations to a suicide charity. They added: 'Bernie was supposed to be checked on over the Christmas period while he was staying alone in his Army accommodation. 'Astonishingly one of the men Bernie had accused of mistreating him was assigned to do those checks and he admitted at this inquest that he did not perform a single one of them. 'For that failure, he was ordered to perform an 'extra duty' as punishment.' The coroner said Mongan was not checked on in his accommodation block over the Christmas period. Speaking after the inquest, Beth Mongan had been expecting the open conclusion because of 'the Army's failure of leaving him for so long'. She added: 'I've come to my own conclusions over the years. It's hard not having it for the kids. 'Knowing Bernie, and he did suffer with his mental health over the years and his treatment in the Army, I believe he took his own life. 'I believe (the Army) failed him, they didn't investigate the bullying accusations the way they should have done.' The widow added that 'it forever will be unforgivable' that Mongan's body was undiscovered for three weeks on a military site. 'I know they've apologised but that doesn't take away the fact that they failed him on that front,' she added. Mongan was due to start a deployment with 77 Brigade in January 2020, but they did not report him absent 'as he should have been' from January 7. He had been looking forward to his new deployment, Heath said in his findings, and had made a list of 'things to do in 2020' on a post-it note found in his room. Mongan had tired to kill himself several years earlier when his marriage was breaking down, the inquest heard. The coroner said of these previous suicide attempts were 'caused by feeling he was not going to see his children again'. Heath said this was not the same with Mongan's death in January 2020. More Trending The two most likely causes of death were that the soldier poisoned himself or suffered sudden abnormality of the heart, the inquest heard. Barbiturates, a depressant drug, were found in the solider's system. He had bought one of them illegally. Pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper was unable to decide which cause of death was most likely. He said: 'I've thought about this long and hard but I just don't think I can, I don't think I have enough positive evidence to go in one direction or the other.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Sisters drowned in pool at beauty spot after travelling to Snowdonia with friends, inquest hears MORE: Man jailed for 39 years after killing partner and neighbour in Christmas Day attack MORE: This is what you see the moment you die, according to scientists
ITV News
19-06-2025
- ITV News
Family criticises 'unforgivable' delay in finding soldier's body at Catterick Garrison
The family of a soldier found dead in his barracks three weeks after he was last seen say it is "unforgivable" his body lay undiscovered for so long. The body of father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan, 33, was discovered decomposing in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison on 23 January 2020. An inquest, held at North Yorkshire Coroners' Court in Northallerton, heard L/Cpl Mongan had "obviously been dead for some time" when he was found, and had last been seen around 27 December. Doctors were unable to determine a cause of death because of the condition of his body. The hearing, which started on 2 June, was told of claims L/Cpl Mongan was bullied by senior officers and that the family believed he had taken his own life. Concluding the inquest, coroner Jon Heath said he was unable to say with sufficient certainty that L/Cpl Mongan had taken his own life and recorded an open conclusion. Speaking afterwards, L/Cpl Mongan's wife Beth criticised the army's failings. 'I know they've apologised, but it doesn't take away the fact that they've failed him in that front and forever will be unforgivable,' she said. The inquest heard evidence from former corporal Stephen Timmerman, who lived in the same accommodation block as L/Cpl Mongan, that he was 'downgraded' by superior officers, and that 'bullying would be an understatement'. After an Army investigation into L/Cpl Mongan's death in 2021, Mrs Mongan said her husband "felt bullied" and was "telling people he was afraid". The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had attempted to kill himself several years earlier when his marriage was breaking down. In the days before he was last seen in January 2020 he gave away his Nintendo to a friend's son, told another friend he 'had bought pills but not taken them,' and made two donations to a suicide charity. The two most likely causes of death were self-inflicted poisoning, after barbiturates were found in L/Cpl's system – one of which was bought illegally – or a sudden abnormality of the heart. A Home Office pathologist told the inquest he could not say which of these was most likely. Dr Nigel Cooper said: 'I've thought about this long and hard but I just don't think I can, I don't think I have enough positive evidence to go in one direction or the other.' "He was an amazing dad" Speaking outside court after the verdict, Mrs Mongan said she was expecting the open conclusion 'mainly due to the army's failure of leaving [L/Cpl Mongan] for so long'. She said: 'I've come to my own conclusions over the years, it's hard not having it for the kids. 'It's been a rollercoaster. 'He was funny, he would try to make anybody joke, anybody laugh, he had a rather weird but wicked sense of humour. He was an amazing dad.' Emma Norton, director of the Centre for Military Justice, represented Mrs Mongan outside court. She said it was "shocking and appalling" that L/Cpl Mongan lay dead for so long. "That failure has had terrible consequences today because it has meant that the coroner cannot be satisfied as to the medical cause of Bernie's death," she said. 'However, his wife Beth has been in court every single day and has heard and read all of the evidence for herself, and the coroner did find today that Bernie was subjected to treatment and was spoken to in a manner by his chain of command that caused him distress. 'The other word for that in his wife's opinion is bullying." She added: "It remains the view of his wife that Bernie died by his own hand and that he was in lots of ways very badly let down by the army.' ' We deeply regret and apologise' The Army said it was taking action to prevent similar cases. A spokesperson said: "We deeply regret and apologise for the shortfalls in our duty of care towards him, which were clearly unacceptable. We're grateful to HM Coroner for the thorough and diligent examination of the circumstances surrounding his death. 'Bernie's service will not be forgotten, and we owe it to his memory, to his loved ones, and to all who serve to ensure that we consistently and diligently provide the duty of care our people need and deserve.'
Western Telegraph
19-06-2025
- Western Telegraph
Army's delay in finding soldier's body in barracks ‘unforgivable'
Father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan's decomposing body was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court heard the 33-year-old's medical cause of death was 'unascertained' as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine. On Thursday senior coroner Jon Heath said it was 'not possible to determine' whether L/Cpl Mongan died from suicide or natural causes and recorded an open conclusion. The conclusion said there was nothing found at the scene or in the post-mortem examination to explain how he died, adding: 'The cause of death is unascertained and it is not possible to determine how he came by his death.' L/Cpl Mongan's widow Beth Mongan, who was separated from him at the time of his death, said the conclusion was 'an enormous disappointment' and that he was 'very badly let down by the Army'. The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had complained of being bullied by senior officers and that five junior soldiers and two senior non-commissioned officers had informed the chain of command that he was being treated differently. Former corporal Stephen Timmerman said 'bullying would be an understatement' as he described how L/Cpl Mongan 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. Three other witnesses said he was 'spoken to in a despicable manner,' '100% victimised' and 'never spoken to respectfully'. Mr Heath said in his findings following the inquest that L/Cpl Mongan was 'on occasions treated and spoken to by his chain of command in a way that caused him distress'. The coroner said L/Cpl Mongan was not checked on in his accommodation block over the Christmas period, and had been due to start a deployment with 77 Brigade in January, but was not reported absent by them 'as he should have been' from January 7. The Centre for Military Justice, which represents Ms Mongan, said the last person to speak to L/Cpl Mongan in the early hours of January 2 described him as distressed, crying and drunk. They said: 'Bernie was supposed to be checked on over the Christmas period while he was staying alone in his Army accommodation – astonishingly one of the men Bernie had accused of mistreating him was assigned to do those checks and he admitted at this inquest that he did not perform a single one of them. For that failure, he was ordered to perform an 'extra duty' as punishment.' The inquest heard he had attempted to kill himself several years earlier when his marriage was breaking down. In the days before he was last seen in January 2020 he gave away his Nintendo to a friend's son, told another friend he 'had bought pills but not taken them' and made two donations to a suicide charity. Mr Heath said: 'However I also find his previous attempt to take his own life was caused by feeling he was not going to see his children again – this was not the case at this time.' He also said L/Cpl Mongan was looking forward to his new deployment and had made a list of 'things to do in 2020″ on a post-it note which was found in his room. The inquest heard the two most likely causes of death were considered to be self-inflicted poisoning, after barbiturates were found in L/Cpl's system – one of which was bought illegally – or a sudden abnormality of the heart, but a Home Office pathologist told the inquest he could not say which of these was the most likely. Dr Nigel Cooper said: 'I've thought about this long and hard but I just don't think I can, I don't think I have enough positive evidence to go in one direction or the other.' Speaking after the inquest, Beth Mongan said: 'I was expecting (the open conclusion), mainly due to the Army's failure of leaving him for so long but I've come to my own conclusions over the years. It's hard not having it for the kids.' She told reporters: 'Knowing Bernie, and he did suffer with his mental health over the years and his treatment in the Army, I believe he took his own life. 'I believe (the Army) failed him, they didn't investigate the bullying accusations they way they should have done.' Ms Mongan said the fact that L/Cpl Mongan was undiscovered for three weeks on a military site was 'unforgivable,' adding: 'I know they've apologised but that doesn't take away the fact that they failed him on that front. It forever will be unforgivable.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Soldier was 'degraded and bullied', inquest told
A soldier found dead in his barracks was "degraded" by his superior officers, with one posting videos of his "humiliations" in a WhatsApp group, an inquest has heard. L/Cpl Bernard Mongan's decomposing body was found in his room at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, on 23 January 2020 - three weeks after he was last seen. Asked about how the 33-year-old had been treated during his time at Catterick his former colleague, Steven Timmerman, told North Yorkshire Coroners' Court "bullying would be an understatement". He said the father-of-three was 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. Mr Timmerman, who lived in the same accommodation block as L/Cpl Mongan, was one of three people who discovered his body. He told the inquest L/Cpl Mongan in the weeks and months before his death he had been "made to do additional work in his own time" and was "shouted, screamed and swore at in front of quite a few people". He said: "He was given tasks that he shouldn't have been given to do." Mr Timmerman said he could remember three occasions when L/Cpl Mongan 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 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". He told the inquest 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 said L/Cpl Mongan had issues with two sergeants and was "undermined" and "come down on very harshly", and 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 "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 also heard L/Cpl Mongan - a Royal Signals soldier who had served in Iraq - was due to start an attachment with the Army's 77 Brigade in Berkshire on 7 January 2020. Mr Timmerman said his friend, who was known as Bernie, "couldn't wait to go down to 77 Brigade". He said: "There was a noticeable change in him, he was happy, he was ready to move away." Mr Timmerman said he last saw L/Cpl Mongan at the barracks on 27 December. He said he had returned from a trip to Scotland on 5 January, but was not expecting to see L/Cpl Mongan as he was due to be on detachment by then. He said he had started to notice an "unusual smell" in the block after a few days, and on 22 January followed it down L/Cpl Mongan's corridor to realise it was coming from inside his room. Mr Timmerman 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. Opening the inquest on 2 June, senior coroner Jon Heath considered whether the soldier could have died from poisoning after barbiturates including Promethezene and Phenobarbital, which have a sedating effect, were found in his system. But paramedic Paul Spence told the court there was "no evidence of self-harm or suicide". 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. Capt Ben Atkin, RSM for L/Cpl Mongan's battalion, said he was never told the soldier had made several suicide attempts before arriving in the unit. Asked if that was a significant failure in communication, he said: "It's an issue, it's a failing, the system should have worked." Capt Atkin said the only time L/Cpl Mongan was discussed in regular welfare meetings was when he was the victim of an assault by two soldiers outside the battalion while on a night out in Catterick. Asked about L/Cpl Mongan being made to do extra runs, Capt Atkin said: "Physical exercise is not allowed to be used in the British Army as a punishment. "It's completely inappropriate and if I had seen it, I would have stopped it." The inquest continues. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Dead soldier had not harmed himself, inquest told HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Metro
03-06-2025
- Health
- Metro
Soldier was 'degraded' by superior officers before being found dead in barracks
A British soldier was 'humiliated' and 'degraded' by superior officers before he was found dead in his barracks, an inquest has heard. Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan's decomposing body was found in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, on January 23, 2020 – 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. One of L/Cpl Mongan's friends, former corporal Stephen Timmerman, told the hearing his friend 'wasn't treated the same' as other soldiers in their squadron. 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'. Mr Timmerman described L/Cpl Mongan, 33, 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 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. 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.' 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 hearing was told L/Cpl Mongan had separated from his wife and spent Christmas at another soldier's house. L/Cpl Mongan had tried to kill himself several times and spent time at a recovery centre run by Help For Heroes, the court heard. More Trending 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. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: I'd enlist to fight in a war – even as a 'woke' millennial MORE: Police officer died 'after being struck by train while helping man on railway' MORE: Deaf woman, 25, who took her own life was 'failed' by mental health services
