A PETTY officer died from a gunshot wound on the same Royal Navy warship where a fellow sailor killed himself, an inquest heard today.
Petty Officer (PO) Jon Errington Paxton was killed onboard the minehunter HMS Cattistock while it was docked in Portsmouth.
Facebook / Jon Errington PaxtonPetty Officer (PO) Jon Errington Paxton died on HMS Cattistock[/caption]
PA:Press AssociationHis death came 12 years after Samuel “Ricky” Hatton killed himself on the same ship[/caption]
He was found by fellow navy personnel with a fatal gunshot wound.
A pre-inquest review heard today how the 38-year-old had access to the keys to the armoury before the tragedy last April.
His death came 12 years after Samuel “Ricky” Hatton, 20, shot himself on the same warship at Portsmouth Naval Base.
The engineering technician had been affected by the death of Matthew “Spider” Webster, who died on board HMS Hurworth in Faslane, Argyll and Bute, in February that year.
Christopher Wilkinson, senior coroner for Hampshire, said a full inquest into PO Paxton’s death would look at the issue of security and weapons and ammunition onboard Navy ships.
The hearing will also explore the dad-of-three’s mental health at the time of his death.
PO Paxton had recently gone through divorce proceedings and was facing civilian charges from police in Scotland.
Mr Wilkinson said he was engaged with the Navy’s mental health services at the end of 2022 but had been discharged on January 23, 2023.
PO Paxton’s father, Jon Paxton, told the hearing: “I am not sure he got the support he deserved or required.
“He probably presented as being a typical man, not wanting to put anyone to any bother and trying to sort it all out himself.
“We spoke about the events quite a bit and spoke about the upcoming court case, and from all the conversations we had he was worried, but not unduly worried, but I think he should have had more support from the navy for his mental health.”
The court was told crew boarded HMS Cattistock, which was undergoing maintenance, on April 6, 2023, when ammunition and weapons were also loaded.
Mr Wilkinson said he would examine “Jon’s role and the role of others in response to security of weapons and ammunition on board the ship”.
He added: “I also need to be clear about what procedures and policies were in place throughout the navy, and how they are applied in such circumstances.”
The inquest was adjourned to a date to be set.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
AlamyHMS Cattistock was docked for maintenance in Portsmouth Naval Base[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
