A Royal Marine trainee from Norwich who was found dead on a railway line just weeks into his initial training believed he was the “worst recruit”, an inquest has heard.
Connor Clark, 18, had used a duvet to scale a razor wire fence at the commando training centre (CTC) in Lympstone, Devon, before being struck by a train on the morning of June 12, 2021.
The teenager had made comments prior to his death about “the corporal and captain expressing implicitly and explicitly” saying he was a “failure” and being the “worst recruit”.
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The officer in charge of the new recruits denied he had called Mr Clark that, but accepted he told him he was failing the course.
Philip Spinney, senior coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, said the inquest would hear evidence from former recruits about a “hostile atmosphere” and that instructors were aggressive and would swear at recruits on the four-week recruit orientation phase (ROP) course.
The inquest heard the teenager died from multiple severe injuries on the railway line, which ran adjacent to the camp.
Connor Clark (Image: Clark family)
Mr Clark had just completed the third week of the course that all Royal Marine recruits undertake before they begin their initial training.
He had passed an inspection just three days before he died, which he had been recognised for.
Roommates realised the teenager was missing at 5am and alerted Corporal Clinton William, who launched a search of the camp – but not beyond the fence.
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Major Thrift said: “If things were really bad at the CTC why didn’t he just go home? He was already outside the wire. I still don’t understand why he just didn’t go home."
“From the camp’s response, I don’t know why we didn’t search. We are part of a family, and a member of our family was missing.
The hearing continues.
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