A Royal Navy sailor took his own life after fearing he'd let his family down if he quit the Navy, an inquest heard today.
Oliver Monaghan-White, 24, had completed his basic training as a navy sailor and had been preparing to become a chef on one of the Royal Navy's stealth nuclear submarines.
He had been forced to go through computer-based training which he didn't enjoy and during this time he had continued to rack up more than £10,000 in gambling debts, the inquest in Winchester heard.
Abigail Askwith, his partner told the inquest that Oliver had volunteered to go into submarines because of the extra pay he would have received and this, combined with his difficulty accepting authority, had made him unhappy.
She said: "Oliver's personality and who Oliver is does not line up with the Royal Navy and having people telling him what to do just annoyed him. He did not like to be told what to do, even with me.
"It was just who he was, he was stubborn. Oliver signed up for submarines when he first went into the Navy for money reasons and nothing else. He realised that submarines would not be the best option considering how he struggled to be away from home.
"He wanted to be in the Royal Navy to see the world, in submarines you don't see the world. He only signed up for the money."
Hampshire Coroner Jason Pegg heard how Oliver, who was repeatedly described as a "closed book" emotionally, had been sent to the base at Worthy Down, near Winchester, Hampshire, to complete his "Phase 2" training but that he had struggled with disciplinary issues.
The aspiring chef had struggled with his attitude and adjusting to naval life but there were no outward signs of him being unhappy, the hearing was told.
However, Abigail said Oliver, who lived in Darlington, County Durham, had expressed deep unhappiness and even said that he had tried to get himself thrown out of the Navy by acting up.
Through tears, she said told the inquest: "There was always a different reason why he wanted to moan about work. In March 2021 before he came home I nearly got him to leave.
"He did have reasons to leave, he was still using inhalers which he should not have been. He was almost on the point of leaving but then he pulled back because he didn't want to let anyone down.
"I said 'you are not letting anyone down, you have tried it, you are not letting anyone down' but he was worried that he would let his family down."
Oliver would often say in a joking manner that he would kill himself, the inquest heard.
However, those close to him did not take it seriously because of his dark sense of humour.
The inquest that Oliver had accumulated large gambling debts and despite multiple loans from friends and family, he was not able to get on top of them.
His family also told the hearing that Oliver had continued to pay maintenance for his daughter from a previous relationship.
However, he was struggling to get access to her and was considering legal action to assert his rights.
The coroner was told that Oliver had been at his family home on May 31, 2021, on leave, only days before his death and had been emotional about leaving.
Abigail said: "I packed his suitcase on Sunday morning - if I don't do things they don't get done properly. He was sat on the bed and looked at me and said 'this will be the last time you are going to see me.'
"I thought he was just winding me up because I get upset when he goes back to the base, I thought nothing of it. I took the case downstairs and put it by the front door. Nicole was making us some sandwiches and I started talking to her.
"Then I noticed Oliver put something into the case, I asked what it was and he said it was nothing. But since we have been through and checked the cupboards and I believe what he put in the case was what he had used [the rope]."
The couple had spoken on the phone the evening before he died as Abigail told the inquest that nothing seemed amiss and that she thought he was "better than ever".
After hanging up the phone, she sent Oliver a message saying: "Goodnight, I love you".
The message was never opened.
On the morning of June 1, 2021, Oliver was found by staff at the Worthy Down barracks hanged.
The inquest heard that Oliver had been alone on his floor after he had been removed from his original class for disciplinary reasons.
A post-mortem examination conducted by a Home Office pathologist found that the chef, who had recently won his class' "Masterchef" award, had died as a result of hanging.
A toxicological examination found no drugs or alcohol in his system.
Oliver's divisional officer Chief Petty Officer Thomas Dennison told the inquest he was a talented chef who the Navy felt would have offered a great deal to the service.
Warrant Officer Ian McHugh told the coroner that had Oliver expressed his wish to leave the submarine service it would have been considered, but it would have been difficult because chefs were considered critical.
The veteran sailor added that Oliver had committed to serving five years in the Royal Navy, something which his family believed might have made him feel trapped.
Concluding the inquest Mr Pegg said: "Oliver was a young man who rarely spoke about his feeling and he has been described as often being a closed book.
"When he started training at Worthy Down Oliver said he was not enjoying the Royal Navy but in a subsequent conversation he said he wanted to say in and give it a go. It is clear Oliver gave the impression of wanting to give it a go. He worked hard on his course and he had a good attitude.
"I am satisfied that when Olive place the lanyard around his neck he intended the outcome to be his death. Therefore the appropriate conclusion is suicide. Oliver took his own life and he intended to do so.
"Why he did what he did only Oliver will know. It seems to me that Oliver was a closed book and was a young man who seems to me to have had a bright future in the Royal Navy.
"He had a number of pressures, most significant was the financial debts and the pressure associated with his former relationship and his child."
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