Sandhurst must ban 'toxic' drinking culture, says grieving mother of Olivia Perks

The parents of a cadet who killed herself at Sandhurst have called on the Army to ban the academy’s “toxic” drinking culture.

Olivia Perks was a 21-year-old officer cadet when she took her own life at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in February 2019. During the inquest into her death, which concluded on Friday, Alison McCormick, of Reading Coroner’s Office, highlighted a number of events where Olivia, “along with others”, had “drank to excess”.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Louise Townsend has criticised Sandhurst’s “boozy and toxic” culture and the lack of welfare support the academy showed towards her late daughter.

“Liv felt she had got to be as good as the blokes on the course, that she had got to be on a par with them, so I believe she felt the drinking was part of that, because that was the culture,” Ms Townsend said. “While you’ve got a culture like that then people are going to feel pressurised to partake in that, because otherwise they’ll be singled out. All she wanted to do was fit in.”

In the days before Olivia killed herself, the coroner found she had attended a charity Falklands Ball where she “like others, got very drunk” and had woken up in the room of one of her male superiors in the sergeants and warrant officers’ mess. The incident and subsequent rumours had left her feeling that her career would be “ruined”.

Ms Townsend and her partner, Nigel Thomas, said the involvement of excessive alcohol on the night of the charity ball had “created a situation which shouldn’t have happened”.

Mr Thomas added that the high levels of alcohol consumption were a “key” part in Olivia’s deteriorating state of mental health.

He highlighted a regimental visit to the Royal Engineers in Weymouth on July 18, where Olivia and other cadets, having just finished a six-week course at Sandhurst, were allowed to enjoy a barbecue and a free bar. “All the cadets drank the bar dry,” he said. “And then they brought the whisky out. We heard in the inquest they were pouring them double scotches.”

The night resulted in Olivia’s making a severe attempt at self-harm.

Mr Thomas criticised the “boozy ­culture” of the military where “heavily subsidised” alcohol “encourages people to drink more of it”, adding: “I know people need to let off steam but there must be other ways than getting completely plastered,” he said.

The couple questioned how appropriate it was to have alcohol served at “training establishments” that are “work environments”.

'Sandhurst should just be dry'

Mr Thomas suggested that other than special occasions with invited guests, “Sandhurst should just be dry”, as he added that on regimental visits, such as the event to Weymouth, alcohol should not be offered.

“They need to drag themselves into the 21st century,” he added. “The drinking culture, the mess culture, the mess nights, I know there’s a lot of tradition in the Armed Forces but equally, you’ve also then got to accommodate modern thinking and modern society.”

The Telegraph has spoken to numerous women who have been victims of sexual assault at Sandhurst who claimed the academy’s drinking culture was “rife” and that it encouraged inappropriate behaviour.

In February last year Alexander Street, 31, died after drowning in a stream having been intoxicated following a function at the academy.

However, it is understood military chiefs will not be considering turning Sandhurst dry, as they pointed to how the Army has “already completely changed the culture around drinking”. It is no longer “ever” acceptable to drink with staff and instructors.

A senior defence source told The Telegraph: “We won’t go to no drinking because we’re trying to prepare officers for the real world.

“Almost every single cadet has been to university, they are already habituated, the idea that they suddenly become teetotal isn’t realistic.”

They added: “It’s about how they learn to lead in a society where drinking is normal.” Since Olivia’s suicide the academy has instigated a number of changes across the Army as part of its “transformation programme”, which began in September last year.

Academy 'committed to being better'

Maj Gen Zac Stenning, Commandant, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, said: “We are committed to being better and will consider all of the coroner’s findings to ensure we learn any further lessons to provide the best possible leadership and care for our soldiers, officers and trainees. This includes zero tolerance of the utterly unacceptable behaviours exposed by the Service Inquiry and this inquest.”

However, Ahmed Al-Nahhas, partner and head of military claims at Bolt Burdon Kemp law firm, cautioned that while the changes the Army has made are welcome, “the real learning point from this case is that rules alone are not enough; you have to nurture the right culture so that staff follow and respect the rules”.

“The challenge now is for the MoD to live up to its promises,” he said.

Now that the inquest has concluded, Olivia’s family will have to live on with the painful knowledge that she could have been kept alive if the right welfare procedures had been put in place.

Ms Townsend wipes away tears as she recalls being on her way to the gym, in February 2019, when she received a call to say there had been a serious incident involving her daughter.

Her mind jumped to all the likely scenarios her daughter could have been hurt: was she injured in a live firing drill or maybe a car crash? But suicide? That was unthinkable. “That just wasn’t Liv,” Ms Townsend said. “We didn’t know [Olivia] had any psychological issues before she went to Sandhurst. This came completely out of the blue to us.”

Inquest uncovered systemic failings

The 16-day inquest, which resulted in Olivia’s death being recorded as “asphyxia due to hanging”, uncovered a barrage of “systemic failings” at the academy. The coroner concluded that had the right welfare provisions been in place, Olivia’s death could have been “avoided”. For Ms Townsend, it was a truth she had been fighting for since she received the tragic news.

Now Ms Townsend has the answers she has spent the last four years searching for, her only hope is that some good comes out of her child’s death.

“We would want, as a legacy to Olivia, to make the Army a safe place, so that welfare is really top of their priority, so that any young person, or any person, going through any training establishment, is well supported,” she said.

“This is so that they can serve their country knowing that if they have any issues, [they] can be supported, and not be frowned upon.”