Teesside coroner rules Hartlepool veteran Alan Forcer hanged himself while under the influence of drugs

Alan Forcer, 40, had been supported by the veterans' Combat Stress charity but was told three months before his death that the service was being redesigned.

The former Household Cavalryman, from Hartlepool, joined the Army aged 16 and served in Northern Ireland.

After a distressing tour of Kosovo, when he was aged around 18, he was eventually discharged.

In May 2020, the father-of-three went missing from his current partner's home in Hartlepool and his body was eventually found by police in woodland near Stockton.

Teesside coroner Clare Bailey recorded a narrative conclusion, rather than suicide, after hearing three days of evidence.

A post-mortem examination showed that Mr Forcer had cannabis, cocaine and a trace of ketamine in his system when he died.

The coroner said: "Taking into account the level of drugs in his system, I cannot say on the balance of probabilities that Alan intended to take his own life.

"It is likely the presence of drugs impaired his cognitive and decision-making abilities."

Her narrative conclusion found that Mr Forcer was a military veteran who suffered from PTSD and that he hanged himself "whilst under the influence of drugs".

The inquest began last month but was adjourned to hear evidence on Friday from nurse David Shaw, who works for a sign-posting NHS service which assists veterans to get help for mental health issues.

The coroner said Mr Forcer had not presented himself to be in crisis at any time when he met Mr Shaw.

Mr Forcer was aware of help that was available to him and was looking to join a course where ex-servicemen work with horses later in the year, the inquest heard.

The coroner said Cleveland Police, which led a search for Mr Forcer after he went missing, will discuss with Mr Forcer's ex-wife, Claire Lilly, methods of raising the alarm for veterans who may be in crisis.

Ms Lilly, who had a son with Mr Forcer, had previously told the inquest that she informed the police that her ex had had a breakdown in his current relationship, might be under the influence of drugs, that he had come out of trauma therapy and that he had tried to kill himself before.

Commenting after the inquest, Mr Forcer’s family said: “We have identified that there is in fact a stumbling block for future veterans to access what has been presented as a newer, improved veteran mental health service that will be easier for veterans to access.

“It is well known that veterans find it incredibly difficult to engage with those professionals who do not have a deep-rooted understanding of the military mind and culture. There is therefore a reluctance for them to ‘opt in’ to these services which is what they are being asked to do.

“What is the point of a veteran-specific mental health service if veterans cannot access it without first failing in their treatment with non-specialist veteran local services?

“We feel quite strongly that they failed to give Alan the tools to cope and now we have to live the rest of our lives without him.”