Error-prone recruit faced repeated ‘punishment’

AROYAL Marine recruit, who was found dead on a railway line in Devon, had endured more intense “thrashings” than any other recruit and faced verbal abuse from non-commissioned officers, an inquest was told.

Connor Clark, 18, from Norfolk, was in the early stages of his military journey when he was found dead next to the tracks near the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone on June 12, 2021.

At the time of his death, Connor had nearly completed the third week of the four-week recruit orientation phase (ROP) that all new Marines undergo prior to starting their basic training.

In the days leading up to his passing, he had lost a blank firing adapter for his weapon and expressed feelings of being a “failure” and the “worst recruit”.

The inquest heard recruits would be collectively subjected to a troop “thrashing” – a form of physical discipline involving exercises like running, press-ups or squat thrusts administered by corporal instructors if one of them made a mistake. Fellow recruits recounted how instructors would get “in their face”, yelling and using expletives.

Although many recruits made errors, it appeared Connor’s performance did not progress as expected. Zac Mizzoni-Dalton, a fellow recruit, observed: “Everyone else seemed to be progressing but not him.”

He added: “I wouldn’t say he was singled out, but in the last week because he was repeatedly failing to meet the high standards, he received many more thrashings than anybody else in the troop. This was apparent to everyone.”

Fellow trainee Stuart Whitelaw remarked on the instructors’ methods, saying they would “target the weakness not the person”.

He explained: “It was never personal. I would say the trainers really put pressure on Connor’s weaknesses and would shout at him more. He had more thrashings than anyone. The trainers could be really intimidating by getting in your face shouting, swearing and being aggressive. They were like that with everyone, not just Connor. He certainly seemed to receive more thrashings than anyone else in the troop.”

Jack Bridges, another recruit, shared his experience of the harsh rhetoric used during training: “In training you get told you are the worst troop ever to come through here, you’re useless and things like this. They say it to every troop and everyone who goes through there. A lot of it is part and parcel of being in the military.”

Aaron Golding recounted how the other recruits helped Connor with his personal kit organisation, noting a shift in Connor’s attitude as he appeared disinterested due to his consistent failures.

“It was if he no longer cared about failing and would sit on his bed disinterested and understandably they found this frustrating,” he said.

Aaron also described the corporals’ tendency to shout, especially during marching drills, where any misstep could result in severe verbal abuse.

“The other thing the corporals would do was shout a lot, especially when we were marching.” he said.

“If someone went out of step, they would get called all kinds of names.

“We do not take this personally because we knew it was part of the game they played. These rants were never a personal attack.”

Recruit Patrick Service remarked: “They would get in your face and tell you that you wouldn’t last and constantly swearing and using every name under the sun.

“Connor made many more mistakes than anyone else and was punished more. The whole group got punished and we all got a bit fed up with having to all take the punishment because of his repeated errors. No one ever said anything nasty to Connor.”

Two days before his death, Connor had sought medical attention in the sick bay for an elbow injury. He disclosed to the medical team he initially injured his elbow by falling against a radiator, but later exacerbated the injury with a knife to evade duties.

Tracy Clark, Connor’s mother, told the inquest she had spoken to her son the evening before his death, during which he mentioned his elbow injury but omitted the fact he had aggravated it with a knife.

“I would have driven there myself and taken him home as self-harm is a cry for help,” she said. “There were no signs to me at that point and Connor and I were very close. I know my son and I know how proud he was of making sure his locker was perfect, so not to let down the whole team.

“The thought of doing so by having his gun piece missing and failing the locker room inspection tipped him over the edge. The fact the doctor didn’t take his self-harming seriously is beyond me. It is cry for help. There should have been a plan in place to check on him.

“The fact there wasn’t an exterior search for him when it was evident he was out and known he was suicidal after the note was found seems to be a failure on their part.”

The hearing continues.