Marines recruit given 'so many chances' - inquest

A Royal Marines drill instructor told a new recruit who was later found dead on a railway line he had been given "so many chances" by superiors after making mistakes, an inquest has heard.

Connor Clark, 18, from Norwich, believed he was the "worst recruit" just three weeks into his military training in Devon.

His body was discovered on railway tracks adjacent to the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon, on 12 June 2021.

The inquest in Exeter heard the teenager had feared losing his troop leave and had made comments about feeling "a failure" - and had misplaced a piece of rifle kit.

Mr Clark, who went to Thorpe St Andrew School near Norwich, was three weeks into a four-week recruit orientation phase course (ROP) that all Marines undertake before initial taining.

He had failed two kit inspections but was then passed by an officer, before an instructor scolded him during drill training, the inquest was told on Wednesday.

Fellow trainee Marine Charles Dryden told the inquest his friend had been criticised by a corporal during march training.

"The instructor said if he had his way he wouldn't have given him so many chances with the previous inspections and would have put him back to the start of the training," said Mr Dryden.

"This was not a singling out of Connor and the instructor had said similar things to other recruits who had made mistakes."

The witness said some instructors could shout and swear at recruits if they made mistakes but there was also banter.

The inquest heard earlier that two days before Mr Clark died he had visited the sick bay after cutting his elbow on a radiator, telling staff he had reopened the wound with a knife to avoid duties.

In a statement, Surgeon Commander Jon Bedford said Mr Clark felt under pressure and was sleep-deprived, but did not want to self-harm again or have suicidal thoughts.

"He felt he... had been derided as the worst recruit," he wrote.

He said he did not discuss his conversations with Mr Clark with the trainee's superiors as he did not have consent and felt the recruit would not want the information shared.

"It is clear that I did not adhere to the guidance and thus made a poor and a wrong decision in not seeking a case conference that day," the commander said.

He said it would have allowed wider management and the “chance to put him [Mr Clark] in a safer environment”.

"I felt Recruit Clark's self-harm was done to increase the gravity of the injury... so he had sufficient reason to visit the medical centre and download about the stress."

On Wednesday, Mr Dryden said when Mr Clark returned an instructor asked why he had been in the sick bay, causing a lesson to be repeated.

He said other recruits were helping Mr Clark to find his rifle adapter as they did not want a troop physical punishment - known as a "thrashing" - and potentially have their leave withdrawn.

The witness said he was shocked at his friend's death, having spoken to him the night before about his plans to continue.

"Everyone was saddened by Connor's death, but agreed we didn't necessarily attribute that to him being bullied by the corporals," he said.

The inquest was told Mr Clark used a duvet to scale a razor wire fence before being hit by a train.

The inquest continues.

Follow Norfolk news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830