Inquest: Norfolk Marine found dead may have been worried about losing leave after misplacing kit
The body of 18-year-old Connor Clark was found on train tracks on 12th June 2021
A Royal Marine recruit who was found dead on a railway line may have been worried about losing his upcoming leave after misplacing a piece of kit, an inquest heard.
Connor Clark, 18, had been going to spend the weekend in Exeter when his body was discovered on the tracks adjacent to the commando training centre (CTC) in Lympstone, Devon, on the morning of June 12 2021.
The teenager, from Norfolk, was three weeks into a four-week recruit orientation phase (ROP) course that all Marines undertake before they begin their initial training.
The inquest in Exeter has heard Mr Clark had made comments about being told by the staff he was a "failure" and was the "worst recruit" and he had also misplaced a blank firing adapter for his rifle.
Officers have told the inquest there would not have been any consequences for Mr Clark for losing the £40 device.
Giving evidence, Able Seaman Chris Lee, who had become friends with Mr Clark during the course, rejected claims the teenager had been a target of bullying by instructors.
"I wouldn't say he was singled out or targeted any more than the rest of the troop was," AB Lee said.
"I wouldn't say it was fair to say he was unfairly targeted if I am being completely honest."
AB Lee said he was taken "completely by surprise" by his friend's death.
"We didn't have any kind of foresight or any thought that could happen. It didn't really come across our minds," he said.
"I think even after looking back there were any warning signs that I missed other than potentially the fact that, now that I think about it with the questions asked today, perhaps he got a little more stressed and worried with the fact that we might lose the shore leave because he lost a piece of kit.
"Maybe that played on his mind quite a bit, I am not sure. Thinking about it today with the questions asked, I think that might have been a driving factor.
"Looking back now I don't think there was anything I could have seen or noticed to prevent what actually happened."
The inquest heard Mr Clark "struggled" with organising his personal kit and had failed inspections as a result.
"He did seem to be quite worried about it all the time. I would also say it wasn't to a point where I thought he might really need some help here," AB Lee said.
"There was always encouragement and people were around to help him, but he did seem to stress out quite a bit about his kit, but it wasn't anything alarming or to the point where I thought this might be an issue."
The witness told the court there were tensions between recruits, with two or three being aggressive towards each other.
"Amongst the recruits I would say a large number of the troop got along quite well with each other but there were a few people who had started quite a lot of arguments, which at times almost did get physical," he said.
"I think a few of the individuals, maybe two or three of them, would make situations a bit worse than they needed to be.
"There were two or three recruits who would make the environment a bit toxic."
AB Lee said he never saw Mr Clark being singled out by other recruits and said the instructors would shout and swear at times but were doing their job.
"I would say occasionally from time to time they might swear at the recruits or shout something, but I didn't really see it as anything more than them doing their jobs in training recruits," he said.
"I never really saw them being unfair with anybody either. In terms of exactly what they might have said I don't recall them using the word 'useless' too often.
"I wouldn't say it was any more different or strange than what would be expected of an instructor.
"From my personal standpoint I saw them as doing their jobs. The comments or statements they were making never really got too personal, so I never really took it that way either."
AB Lee told the court he had personally suffered around 20 "thrashings" - meaning punishments of physical exercise such as press-ups or running - during his time at the ROP.
The inquest heard that AB Lee had switched to another career within the Royal Navy after Mr Clark's death.
Asked why, he said: "I would say it was more than that, but it did play into my decision. After that happened, I don't think my mind was really in the right place to be there any more.
"I think I got disheartened after what happened and looking back, I wouldn't be exactly able to say why but I think in the moment my mood went down quite a bit and then I started losing the motivation after what happened to Connor."
The inquest continues.