Soldier ‘longed for crash so he could rest’

A SOLDIER who went on to take his own life said he wanted to be in a minor road crash to get some rest, an inquest has heard.

Rifleman Darren Mitchell, 20, from London, was found hanged in his room at Abercorn Barracks in Ballykinler, Co Down on February 10, 2013 – three months after 30-year-old Lance Corporal James Ross, from Leeds, was also found hanged in his room at the base on December 8, 2012.

Both men were serving with the Second Battalion the Rifles and had previously been on active service in Afghanistan. An inquest at Ballymena court house is examining both the deaths.

It heard from Rifleman Mitchell’s girlfriend Cher Kiff who described him as someone who “radiated warmth” and could “cheer anyone up”.

But she added she had noticed a change in him in the months before his death, describing him as exhausted due to courses he was taking to become an adventure training instructor and suffering from panic attacks.

“He made a remark about wishing for a non-serious accident to be able to rest and build himself up,” she told the inquest. She also revealed in January 2013, a medic told Rifleman Mitchell’s boss he might be depressed and to keep an eye on him.

There is no record of whether either soldier received aftercare support following deployment in Afghanistan. Coroner Joe McCrisken said this underlines the importance of record keeping.

The inquest continues.