Soldier, 17, killed himself after quitting basic army training due to bullying, inquest finds

A teenager killed himself at his family home after becoming depressed after being forced to quit basic army training because he was bullied, an inquest heard.

Connor Williamson, 17, has dreamed of serving his country since he was a little boy.

But his time at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was cut short after he suddenly quit.

Connor effectively ‘quit’ after returning home to Norwich and was found hanged in his bedroom just a few months later.

The city’s inquest heard he had spoken to his GP about being bullied.

Despite overdoses, writing a suicide note, going missing and repeatedly expressing feelings of helplessness, mental health doctors wrongly downgraded his case to routine care.

When he died on May 20 last year, he was told there would be a 90-minute wait for an assessment.

Area coroner Yvonne Blake drew a narrative conclusion on the basis that Connor’s mental state meant he may not have fully understood his actions.

Connor Williamson, 17, has dreamed of serving his country since he was a little boy. But his time at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was cut short after he suddenly quit

She also criticized the decision by Norfolk and Suffolk mental health NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) to label his case as ‘routine’.

Connor’s devastated mother, Kelly McFadden, told the hearing: ‘He had the biggest heart – a kind, loving and thoughtful boy. Beautiful inside and out, with the purest soul.’

The case once again raises questions about the military’s handling of soldiers’ welfare, following high-profile cases in which soldiers took their own lives after harassment.

The teenager began his basic training at the Army Foundation College in the summer of 2024 but returned a few weeks later, the Norwich inquest heard.

His brother, Lewis Fairweather, told the hearing: ‘When he came back he was different – always sad, miserable and closed off.

“He slept all day and was awake all night.”

Mrs McFadden told the coroner her son had not spoken much about his training days after suddenly returning home, but his girlfriend believed he had been bullied.

Connor’s GP subsequently confirmed he had been bullied, the inquest heard, with the departure marking a marked change in his behavior as he struggled to come to terms with the end of his career ambitions.

The inquest in Norwich found the teenager had spoken to his GP about being bullied

A breakup in early 2025 added to his turmoil and he overdosed.

He also disappeared from home after writing a suicide note and was found by police at Ely train station.

In February that year, his GP made an urgent referral after paramedics who attended Connor’s home reported he was in a ‘completely dissociative state’.

There was confusion about his care because of his age and his habit of not speaking to professionals, the inquest heard, but he was visited at home by crisis practitioners.

A safety plan was put in place, which included removing sharp objects and medications, as well as family members sleeping near his room so they could check on him at night.

Connor, who had three older siblings, narrated his turmoil to a mental health nurse, Lauren Saffer, telling her he felt like he had no future after leaving the military, regretted the decision and was plagued by thoughts of suicide.

But his case was transferred to youth services and classified as routine rather than urgent, the inquest heard.

Natalie Thorogood, Children, Families and Young Peoples Services team manager for NSFT, admitted mistakes had been made, including failing to stay in touch with Connor’s parents while he waited for help.

Manchester Utd fan Connor’s brother, Lewis Fairweather, told the hearing: ‘When he came back he was different – always sad, miserable and closed off.’

“I see that we could have practiced there differently and I would like to pass that on to the family.”

Mrs McFadden, who believes her son may have been on the autistic spectrum, asked why no one called her back when she reported suicidal thoughts in April.

The coroner added that she could not understand how a teenager who had overdosed, written a suicide letter, run away and talked about having no future was not treated as a priority.

“I can’t wrap my head around the fact that this is being labeled as routine,” Ms Blake said.

Dr. Dan Dalton, a senior psychiatrist at NSFT, also acknowledged that “mistakes had been made in Connor’s care.”

‘A mistake was made in recognizing the urgency. “We need better communication between services and ensure people waiting for assessment are properly assessed,” he said.

The trust has changed procedures since Connor’s death to ensure patients are not discharged by one team until the next service formally takes over responsibility, it was told.

Ms Blake said Connor had suffered a series of painful losses in a short space of time, including leaving the army, the end of his relationship and the lack of continuity with mental health professionals he had come to trust.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found hanging in her room at Larkhill Camp, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, on December 15, 2021.

“When people are vulnerable, things are hit harder,” she said.

Mrs McFadden said her son loved the family sausage dog, Dave, followed Manchester Utd ‘religiously’ and went everywhere listening to music on his headphones because he found it ‘therapeutic’.

The Ministry of Defense was contacted for a response.

Concerns have been repeatedly raised about the well-being of men and women serving in the military.

Last year an inquest heard the death of a ‘bullied’ soldier whose body lay undiscovered in his bunk at his base in Catterick, North Yorkshire.

Iraq veteran Lance Corporal Bernard ‘Bernie’ Mongan, 33, is alleged to have been the victim of “systematic intimidation” and “bullying”, a coroner was previously told.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found hanging in her room at Larkhill Camp, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, on December 15, 2021, after being sexually assaulted by a superior.

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