Soldier took her own life amid demotion fears

A soldier took her own life hours after getting into a dispute with a colleague which she feared could lead to her being demoted, a coroner has ruled.

Royal Artillery Bombardier Nadine Askew, 31, was discovered dead in her room at Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire in 2021.

An inquest into her death heard she had previously been placed on a vulnerability risk management register (VRM) due to incidents of self harm and was removed from this list 10 days before her death and approved for deployment.

In his findings, area coroner Ian Singleton said: "The fact that Nadine took her own life following the altercation does not mean it was a failure in the care previously provided."

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He added it "would not be safe to conclude" Askew should have been placed on the VRM - which comes with mental health support - following the altercation and "it would be speculation to say what difference" any extra measures would have made.

Askew, from Sunderland, had served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Royal Artillery.

Speaking after the inquest, her mother described her as a "kind, caring woman with an infectious smile".

Giving evidence about the evening before Askew's death, Bombardier Lucy Clark told Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Court a fight broke out at a party when a gunner approached Askew to apologise for something he had done earlier.

"She didn't want to hear it, but he kept persisting," Clark said, adding Askew then "jumped up from the bench and went for him".

After several punches were thrown, another soldier grabbed Askew and restrained her before pulling her away from the confrontation, the inquest was told.

"A lot of the time the repercussion for fighting is a demotion and she wasn't wearing sergeant yet so the fear was a demotion in general, but she would have potentially been busted back down to lance bombardier," Clark said.

In his findings, coroner Singleton said he was "satisfied more likely than not" that Askew had intended to take her own life "against the background of being involved in an altercation that Nadine would have known would in all probability have an adverse effect on the promotion she was so keen to achieve".

"I find that her actions were a response to the realisation of that fact.

"I do not find that the earlier mental health issues she had were a factor giving the evidence from a psychiatrist about the improvements she had made and there was nothing in how she presented over the past few months that raised a concern," he added.

During the inquest, her parents said they had no knowledge of their daughter's previous self-harm attempts or struggles with mental health.

In his findings, the coroner said he had heard no evidence which contradicted medical experts who described the mental health care Askew received as of a "good standard".

The coroner recorded a conclusion of suicide.

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