Soldier ‘lay dead in barracks for 3 weeks before body found’

ABRISTOL-BORN soldier lay dead in his barracks for three weeks before his body was eventually found.

Bernard Mongan’s widow has spoken out about his death, and blasted the army over why it took so long to find his body.

The Daily Mirror reported that his widow Beth told a friend his superiors failed to spot he was not on duty and said: “It’s outrageous no one went to check on him.”

Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan, 33, was born in Bristol but raised in southern Ireland and was in the middle of a second stint in the military.

He was found on January 23 in his bedroom in a barracks accommodation block.

The Army has refused to comment on the circumstances of his death. But police have told his widow they believe he died around New Year after investigating his phone records.

The Iraq War veteran, who had been working in military signals intelligence, was also due to transfer to another army base a week after he was last seen alive.

But his disappearance was not noticed at either camp - despite strict Army procedures.

And L Cpl Mongan’s body was so badly decomposed by the time of his discovery the cause of death may never be known.

Now Beth, who says he was bullied at work, has accused the Army of keeping her in the dark after getting no answers to questions about what happened to her husband.

Beth, 30 - who was separated from L Cpl Mongan but still close to the father of her three daughters – told a friend: “I don’t know what happened to him or why. But I know his work was very secret and very sensitive.

“What happened to Bernie is outrageous. How can a soldier be dead in his room for three weeks and nobody notice? When he failed to report for duty, why wasn’t his room checked? I have not received any answers to these questions. The Army has kept me in the dark.”

L Cpl Mongan was in the Royal Signals attached to the Intelligence Corps as a member of the 1st Military Intelligence battalion.

His role would have involved helping to gather intelligence on Britain’s potential enemies such as China, Russia, Iran and terrorist groups including IS and al-Qaeda. He would have been vetted, and would have signed the Official Secrets Act.

Beth says North Yorkshire Police, who have since handed over the investigation to the Army, believe L Cpl Mongan died at Catterick Garrison on either New Year’s Day – only hours after her last phone call with him – or January 2.

Beth is adamant her husband would not have committed suicide.

She told her friend: “There is no way he would have done that. As far as I am aware there was no note and he was in very good spirits.”

“I last spoke to him on January 1 and he was planning to take the children to Lapland later this year.

“He was also excited about his new posting but didn’t say much about it. He wasn’t behaving like someone who was about to take his own life.”

But she said L Cpl Mongan had allegedly been a victim of racist bullying while in the Army.

He was born in Bristol but spent much of his childhood in the Republic of Ireland and had a soft southern Irish accent as a result.

Bernie told Beth he had been violently assaulted by two soldiers from Northern Ireland in November 2018 after being stationed at Catterick earlier that year.

It is understood the incident was reported and a bullying investigation had continued until at least November 2019.

Beth told her friend: “He had been bullied quite a bit over the last couple of years. He was beaten up and as far as I am aware it is being treated as a racist incident.

“There were several other occasions when he felt he was being treated unfairly by senior members of his battalion.

“His leave was often cancelled at the last minute and he felt as if his career wasn’t progressing as quickly as it should have done.

“Bernie was 6ft 4in tall but a real softy, a gentle giant – and I think he was a bit of a target for bullies. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, he was the most amazing dad and totally devoted to his daughters.”

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Bristolborn soldier Bernard Mongan

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What happened to Bernie is outrageous. How can a soldier be dead in his room for three weeks and nobody notice?