2nd Afghan veteran killed himself at Catterick Garrison

Highlander Nicholas “Nicki” Hart, 33, was the second soldier to kill himself at Catterick Garrison after serving in Afghanistan in a six-month period.

The father-of-three had a history of mental health problems and his family were concerned about his use of alcohol.

A two-week inquest at Northallerton heard he had been drinking heavily after the death of his friend Lance Corporal Ryan MacKenzie, who killed himself at Catterick Garrison in August 2021.  Both served in the 4Scots.

The inquest into the death of Highlander Hart in February 2022 heard that he developed post traumatic stress disorder after a 2012 term of duty in Afghanistan and returned for a second term of duty in Afghanistan in 2020.

Highlander Nicki Hart in Afghanistan (Image: Family handout / PA)

Assistant coroner Jonathan Leach said there had been some missed opportunities to support Highlander Hart – including previous suicide attempts not being immediately apparent to people looking at his medical records – but that these did not contribute directly to his death. A conclusion of suicide was recorded.

After the inquest, Hart’s widow Sara Hart said in a statement released via lawyers Irwin Mitchell:  “It’s almost impossible to describe how I felt when I was told Nicki had died. There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think about him.

“He had so much to live for and I’ll always struggle to accept that he’s no longer here with me watching our children grow up.

“I’d give anything to bring Nicki back, but I know that can’t happen. While hearing everything at the inquest has been nothing short of traumatic, some missed opportunities have been identified. We as a family remain of the opinion that had he received earlier treatment and help his death could have been prevented.”

Highlander Nicki Hart and his sister Jamie (Image: Family handout / PA) Highlander Hart’s sister, Jamie Hart-Dobbs, 39, said:“It was bad enough to find out he was having problems with his mental health, but then to hear he had gone completely floored me. I couldn’t take it in and still struggle more than two years on.

“All Sara and I can do now is hope that something is put in place to ensure soldiers get the help and support they need. At the very least, it’ll help us honour Nicki’s memory.”

The inquest heard a service inquiry report found that there were “missed opportunities” in the care he received before he died. 

L Cpl Ryan MacKenzie

The inquest in L Cpl MacKenzie’s death heard that his family noticed changes in him after he served two tours of duty in Afghanistan

His grandmother Margaret Allison told the inquest: “The deployment messed him up, he had post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and made two suicide attempts.”

But the Army unit welfare officer Capt Phil Ingram said LCpl Mackenzie’s death had come out of the blue – they had not been told of any attempts by him to take his own life and he had not been diagnosed with PTSD.