Inquest Hears Doctor Denies Telling Soldier to ‘Man Up’ Before Death

An Army medical officer has denied instructing a soldier, who subsequently died by suicide, to “man up” when he sought assistance. An inquest into the death of Nicholas Hart, 33, commenced on Monday at North Yorkshire Coroner’s Court. Mr. Hart was discovered deceased at the Catterick Garrison base in February 2022. The serviceman, originally from Pontypridd in Wales, had a history of mental health challenges and had been consuming alcohol heavily since the suicide of another soldier, Ryan Mackenzie, at the same barracks six months prior. The inquest received testimony from Colonel Simon Bloodworth, a medical officer who assessed Mr. Hart but did not believe the soldier “engaged with the available support.” Colonel Bloodworth stated: “I don’t think Nicki took to talking therapy like a duck to water.“He would shrug and say, ‘I don’t know’, so I had to ask very specific questions.” He further indicated his assessment was that Mr. Hart, who had been serving with the Royal Regiment of Scotland in a recruitment capacity, was “vulnerable, but not high risk,” and therefore did not recommend an emergency appointment or an intervention. Colonel Bloodworth also refuted the assertion from another witness, former soldier David Twiname, who was working in the same barracks at the time. Mr. Twiname had informed the inquest earlier in the day that Mr. Hart had, in effect, been told to “man up” while attempting to obtain help. Mr. Twiname testified: “I saw him every day, he was a good guy and like a brother.“The death of Ryan had a pretty bad effect on Nicki and it led to him drinking more and you could tell he was not happy, so I made an effort to be with him more in his room as much as I could.“When he tried to get help from our medical centre, he felt like he was basically told to ‘man up’ and be a soldier.” However, Colonel Bloodworth later stated during the hearing that he would “never have used the term ‘man up’ in a professional setting,” adding: “That statement is appalling and it infuriates me as I did not say it to him”. Mr. Twiname also described a diagram Mr. Hart had shown him that illustrated his desire to end his own life, but detailed the need to overcome certain obstacles, such as his friends. He added that he felt his friend was “showing me that this was his mind and this was it, he wanted to die”. Mr. Hart’s wife, Sara, with whom he shares three children, also informed the inquest that following Mr. Mackenzie’s death, he “was not the Nicki I knew” and was “not displaying emotions in the way he normally did”. She also mentioned receiving a text message from him days before his death that stated how “the Army teaches you to suppress all your feelings and emotions”. Assistant coroner Jonathan Leach added that a toxicology report had determined the amount of alcohol in Mr. Hart’s system at the time of his death would have placed him at more than twice the legal drink-drive limit. A Service Inquiry Report by the Ministry of Defence concluded that there were “missed opportunities” in the care Mr. Hart received prior to his death. The inquest also heard that he developed post-traumatic stress disorder following a tour of Afghanistan in 2012. The inquest, which is anticipated to last for 10 days, is ongoing.