Sandhurst cadet’s suicide ‘could have been prevented’ as Army apologises for ‘systemic failings’
26 May 2023, 17:54 | Updated: 2 June 2023, 17:21
The Army missed a chance to stop a “positive and bubbly” officer cadet's suicide, a coroner has ruled.
Olivia perks, 21, hanged herself in her room at Sandhurst military academy in Berkshire on 6 February 2019.
The inquest, which took place over 16 days, heard that she previously attempted suicide on July 2018 but this information had not been passed onto commanding officers at the time.
The Army said it was “deeply sorry” for its “systemic and individual failings”.
Speaking at Reading Town Hall, where the inquest was held, it was reported that Ms perks felt an “overwhelming sense of embarrassment” after spending the night in an officer’s room five days before she took her own life.
Ms Perks had been attending the Falklands Ball and reportedly spent the night with Colour Sgt Griffith - but they both denied any sexual activity took place.
The coroner said those in charge missed a chance to get the young woman seen by a doctor afterwards, as she “trashed” her room in front of colleagues after that night and hit her head against a bed frame.
They also said that Ms Perks fell victim to a “complete breakdown in welfare support” while she was at the academy.
Listen and subscribe to Unprecedented: Inside Downing Street on Global Player
The welfare support available at the academy was previously described as “irresponsible”, as it had only one officer available for 2,500 people.
Olivia attempted to end her life the summer before while she was visiting the Royal Engineers in Dorset, but her chances of attempting it again was deemed “low risk” afterwards.
Just two days later she was sent back on duty and warned she could lose her place at the academy if she tried anything similar again.
Coroner Alison McCormick concluded: “The risks to Olivia were not managed in accordance with the Army policy for the risk management of vulnerable people.
"There was a missed opportunity by the chain of command to recognise the risk which the stress of her situation (after the Falklands Ball) posed to Olivia and a medical assessment should have been, but was not, requested.
"It is not possible to know what the outcome would have been had a medical assessment taken place, but it is possible that measures would have been put in place which could have prevented Olivia's death."
