Army 'missed opportunities' to prevent suicide of officer cadet
The army missed opportunities to prevent the suicide of a"positive and bubbly" officer cadet at the prestigious Sandhurst military academy, a coroner concluded.
The inquest at Reading Town Hall heard Ms Perks fell victim to a"complete breakdown in welfare support" during her time at the academy. After the inquest, her mother Louise Townsend described the last four years as the"hardest and most difficult journey" and that the story presented by the Ministry of Defence was"very different" to the coroner's conclusion.Ms McCormick said:"The risks to Olivia were not managed in accordance with the army policy for the risk management of vulnerable people.
The inquest heard Ms Perks had felt an"overwhelming sense of embarrassment" after an incident at a ball five days before she died and was scared she was going to be kicked out of the college. Ms Perks was warned at the time she could face the sack if her behaviour was repeated and returned to duties two days after the incident.The inquest was told Sandhurst had an"irresponsible" lack of welfare support despite being rated outstanding by Ofsted three times before the tragedy.
In a statement issued through her solicitor outside court, she said:"The last four years have been the hardest and most difficult journey we could have embarked upon: to lose our wonderful, vivacious and captivating girl, in circumstances which we now know were avoidable.
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