MoD preparing report into deaths

The Ministry of Defence is working round the clock to complete a delayed investigation report into the apparent suicides of two Afghanistan veterans at an isolated UK Army base, an officer has told a court.

The probe into the deaths of Lance Corporal James Ross, 30, from Leeds, and Rifleman Darren Mitchell, 20, from London, has yet to be published almost two years on from the fatal incidents.

The two soldiers from 2nd Battalion, The Rifles were each found dead at Ballykinler Army base in rural Co Down, Northern Ireland within a two-month period in the winter of 2012/13.

Their deaths prompted concerns about the mental welfare of British soldiers living in such an isolated location, the majority in single rooms, with tight restrictions on their movements outside due to the security threat posed by dissident Irish republican paramilitaries.

At an opening preliminary inquest hearing into their deaths in Belfast, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Clark told coroner Jim Kitson that the official MoD service inquiry had been side-tracked when the officer heading it became unwell.

He said a replacement had since been found and he was now working “24/7” to get the investigation finished. It is likely the report findings will be heavily relied upon during the inquest proceedings.

“I thank you and the families for your patience so far,” Lt Col Clark told Mr Kitson.

“Clearly we want to get on with this.”

Lt Col Clark added: “I assure you sure we are working 24/7 to get this out as quickly as possible.”

The officer said he expected the report to be published by the end of November.

The MoD is investigating the two apparent suicides and seven other reported incidents of self-harm at the Ballykinler base over a seven-month period.

The Army has since moved The Rifles battalion out of Ballykinler and relocated it to Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn.

During the hearing at Belfast Coroners Court, Karen Quinlivan QC, representing the families of the two soldiers, asked for the MoD to hand over the men’s personnel, financial and medical files.

Mr Kitson asked Lt Col Clark for access to those files and to the documents linked to the as-yet-unpublished investigation.

The officer agreed to source the soldiers’ files but asked the coroner if he would be prepared to wait until the report’s publication before those documents were handed over.

“I would ask for that last bit of patience to get that report done and get it out to you as fast as humanly possible,” he said.

Mr Kitson said he would afford the MoD some “latitude” on the issue but said if the report had not been produced by the end of November he would convene another hearing to establish why.

“I will want to hear a full explanation why that hasn’t happened,” he said.

The coroner said he had not yet decided if the inquests would be held together or one after the other, explaining that it depended on the extent of “commonalities” between the deaths identified in the MoD report.

He added: “The deaths of these two young men need to be inquired into by an inquest as soon as possible.”