Sandhurst chief told ‘not to worry about culture’ at time of suicide

Cadet killed herself amid a ‘complete breakdown of welfare support’ at military academy, report finds

THE Commandant of Sandhurst failed to tackle concerns over culture at the academy because he was told to focus on the Army’s recruitment drive, sources have alleged.

The claim has emerged in the wake of a report into the suicide of officer cadet Olivia Perks, who killed herself in 2019, following a “complete breakdown in welfare support” at the academy.

Maj Gen Paul Nanson became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2015.

However, he was then given the additional role of General Officer Commanding Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command (ARITC) in 2018.

That year, a National Audit Office found the military was experiencing its biggest staffing shortfall for a decade.

Defence sources have said that Maj Gen Nanson was instructed by his seniors to focus on recruitment because “Sandhurst will look after itself ”.

“He was told ‘do not worry yourself about Sandhurst’,” they said. “Worry about recruiting, leave running on a day-to-day basis to your brigadier.”

At the time that Maj Gen Nanson was given the extra responsibilities Ms Perks joined Sandhurst. By February the next year the 21-year-old officer cadet had killed herself. A Service Inquiry into her suicide identified “unacceptable behaviours and actions” which occurred during her time at the academy, and that despite being identified as “vulnerable” she received “substandard management and support”.

The inquiry said there was “extremely limited actual support or assurance of supporting staff activities which would have assisted” Ms Perks.

It cited “exceptionally poor inter staff and departmental communications” around her. While she was discussed at meetings, “no positive action took place to support” her.

The report revealed that during 2018, 19 relationships occurred between staff and cadets. Other inappropriate behaviour included a colour sergeant “boasting on parade of sexual relations” with an officer cadet on the night of their commissioning.

The inquiry was of “the opinion that more than one relationship and numer- ous examples of inappropriate behaviour occurred within this intake”.

“This demonstrates that the staff [took] risks and contravene the rules and regulations,” they said. Defence sources stressed that before the Maj Gen was given the extra recruitment role, a 2 star general was previously “running the show” at Sandhurst.

After, the daily tasks were left to Brigadier Bill Wright, who was feeling “very stretched”, according to sources.

However those trusted by Brigadier Wright “failed to create the correct culture”, the sources said. Maj Gen Nanson could not be contacted for comment.