Inquest into death of Hartlepool veteran Alan Forcer is due to resume

Alan Forcer, from Hartlepool, was discovered in a wooded area between Darlington and Stockton a couple of days after he went missing in May 2020.

The forty-year-old had been fighting with PTSD after serving in Ireland and Kosovo in the nineties.

An inquest examining the circumstances surrounding his death is set to resume at Teesside Magistrates’ Court, in Middlesbrough, next week.

Specialist inquest solicitor Gemma Vine, who is representing Alan’s family, has said they hope the inquest will raise awareness around the access to mental health support for armed forces veterans.

She said: “Alan’s family want his inquest to raise awareness of a number of issues including the availability of access to mental health support for armed forces veterans who suffer trauma during service.

"Also, to highlight the need for a more robust missing persons protocol put in place by all Police Forces in the UK to work alongside the charity All Call Signs, continuing its lifesaving work in attempting to bring missing veterans home.”

Alan joined the Army when he was just 16, serving in both Ireland and Kosovo. His former wife Claire Lilly had previously told the Mail he had witnessed “horrendous things”.

Five months into his tour of duty in Kosovo in 1998, he returned home on R&R (Rest and Recreation) and had to be seen by his civilian GP due to the effect that his experiences in Kosovo was having on his mental health.

He was deemed not medically fit to return to complete the second part of his tour and was later attached to the Household Cavalry in Knightsbridge where he remained until his discharge in 2000.

But a PTSD diagnosis did not come until after Alan contacted charity Combat Stress in June 2017 for help with his mental health.

In February 2020 Alan was advised by the organisation that they could no longer support him due to funding issues and a service redesign, and was referred to the NHS Veterans Mental Health Service through TILS (Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service).

Jeff Harrison, interim chief executive at Combat Stress, told the Mail back in November: “Our thoughts and condolences are with Mr Forcer’s family and friends.

“We are cooperating fully with the coroner overseeing the inquest and will be able to comment further once it has concluded.”

The Cabinet Office urged anyone struggling to access available support.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "Our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends of Mr Forcer.

"We urge anyone who may be struggling to reach out to the specialist support available.

"This includes the dedicated veterans mental health and wellbeing service, Op Courage, which provides a single route for accessing specialist care."

Op Courage can be contacted via at www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/armed-forces-community/mental-health/veterans-reservists/ by telephoning 0800 652 2867 or emailing [email protected].

The inquest resumes at Teesside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (October 4) and Wednesday (October 5).