Lee Bonsall inquest: ‘enough is enough’

A coroner recorded a narrative verdict concerning the 24-year-old, who was found hanged by his wife at their family home in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, as he could not be sure Lee intended to commit suicide.

Wayne Clarkson, father of Mansfield ex-Royal Logistic Corps private, Ashley Clarkson, has given a mixed reaction to the coroner’s findings.

Ashley (23) died just one week after Lee, in very similar circumstances, after struggling with what appeared to be post-traumatic stress disorder following his service in Iraq.

It emerged during Ashley’s Nottingham inquest, which also ended with a narrative verdict, that his medical notes were never passed to his civilian GP by the Army.

Said Wayne: “They have come to the same conclusion again - it is annoying because they sit on the fence. They need to open their eyes and look at how many soldiers are killing themselves.

“But this coroner has said ‘enough is enough, too many young soldiers are taking their own lives and we need to address it now.

“If they have to come out of the Army a procedure should be in place where their papers are automatically sent to a GP and they have to have an assessment.

“They might pick up on something and hopefully address the situation - that is the hope.”