A ‘tender and loving’ feminine Army soldier was discovered hanged at similar barracks as tragic Jaysley Beck over fears her profession was in ruins as a result of she punched a male Gunner, inquest hears
A ‘soft and loving’ female Army soldier was found hanged at her barracks after becoming worried her career was in ruins because she got into a fight, an inquest heard today.
Bombardier Nadine Askew was on the verge of becoming a Sergeant but worried that the bust-up with a male soldier would scupper her chances of promotion.
The experienced 31-year-old Iraq and Afghanistan veteran knew the fight would have ‘repercussions on her career’.
In one of her last remarks before the tragic soldier was found dead in her room, Bdr Askew told a colleague that she had ‘f****d it’, the court heard.
Bdr Askew, of the Royal Artillery, had also suffered a panic attack after the fight, it was heard.
She had ‘headbutted’ and ‘punched’ a male Gunner after he tried to apologise for something that had happened earlier in the day.
Bdr Askew, originally from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, died at the Royal School of Artillery, Larkhill, Wiltshire in July 2021 – five months before the high-profile death of Gunner Jaysley Beck at the same camp.
The 19-year-old who took her own life after becoming the victim of sexual assault and subsequent Army failings.
Bombardier Nadine Askew knew the fight with a colleague would have ‘repercussions on her career’, a coroner heard
Bdr Askew died five months before tragic Gunner Jaysley Beck (pictured) was also found dead at Larkhill Camp
Last month ex-Army sergeant major Michael Webber, 43, was jailed for six months for sexually assaulting the tragic soldier.
Resuming Bdr Askew’s inquest today at Salisbury Coroner’s Court, Area coroner Ian Singleton heard how the fight between the soldier and a male colleague happened at a party which followed on from an evening in a pub, where Bdr Askew had been drinking.
Giving evidence, Lance Bombardier Lucy Clark, who was Bdr Askew’s friend and ex-girlfriend, said she spoke with the late soldier at the party and she was quieter than she had been in the pub. ‘It was more than likely that she had had more alcohol’, the soldier added.
She told how a Gunner approached her former girlfriend and ‘tried to apologise for something he had done earlier in the day’, but said Bdr Askew ‘didn’t want to hear it’.
LBdr Clark added: ‘She went to grab him. She punched him and got restrained and someone dragged him away. She tried to headbutt him with the back of her head and fight him off.
‘When she got angry her whole body tensed up and she got an angry look on her face. She was in a state of rage.
‘When she kept fighting she was grabbed around the torso – like being bear hugged.
‘I had heard stories of her getting into fights in the past. I had seen her violent.
Lance Bombardier Lucy Clark had told the court that Bdr Askew had PTSD and depression but she said she had no concern that Brd Askew (pictured) would harm herself when she went to bed
‘The people she would fight were normally male. She wasn’t the biggest fan of men.’
Lbrd Clark said Brd Askew then began having a panic attack and she was focused on trying to calm her down.
‘She knew that getting into a fight and hitting a gunner was going to have repercussions on her career’, the solider added.
‘Becoming a sergeant was very important to her and she had the job lined up’, she added.
‘The fear was demotion and being put down to Lance Bombardier. We were speaking about it and she just said ‘I know’. She said she ‘f***ed it’.
LBdr Clark had told the court Bdr Askew had PTSD and depression but she said she had no concern that the bombardier would harm herself when she went to bed.
The soldier was found dead the next morning.
LBrd Clark added: ‘It was one of the biggest shocks of my life when I found out what happened.’
Larkhill Camp, where Bombardier Nadine Askew and Gunner Jaysley Beck were found dead five months apart
Her cause of death was confirmed as hanging.
Mr Singleton read out a statement on behalf of Bdr Askew’s mother, Amanda.
It said: ‘The last contact we had with her was on the Sunday before she died. She left a voicemail and seemed happy.
‘She had recently passed her motorcycle test and had been to visit Cheddar Gorge.
‘She was very independent. Since her death we have learned about her mental health.
‘She tried to harm herself three times. She had put a gun to her head and ran a car into a tree. She also tried to stab herself.
‘She was always upbeat and was soft and loving on the inside. If you became her friend you became her friend for life.’
Bdr Askew joined the Army in January 2007 and served in Iraq between 2008-2009 and Afghanistan 2011-2012 and in 2019.
The inquest continues.
