A ROYAL Navy sailor took his own life on a warship after he was charged with sex assault allegations, an inquest heard.
Petty Officer Jon Errington Paxton suffered a fatal gunshot wound from an assault rifle on the HMS Cattistock while it was docked in Portsmouth.
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The hearing was told PO Paxton, 38, had recently gone through a divorce with his partner and he had been accused of sexual assault.
He also had debts of up to £25,000 and told his partner at the time that “everybody would be better off without him”, it was said.
Area Coroner for Hampshire, Portsmouth, and Southampton, Jason Pegg, concluded that PO Paxton had taken his own life.
He said he had fired two rounds of ammunition, using an assault rifle on the ship.
The inquest was told in December 2022, PO Paxton had been arrested and charged with sexual assault while he was at home on medical unit discharge.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, but the trial had not yet taken place.
PO Paxton suffered from depression and anxiety and he was deemed medically unfit for several months, the court heard.
His brother Ross said he had struggled with his marriage breakdown and that he had said to him the “one thing he couldn’t live with was another man living in his own house with his kids”.
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How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123
On April 19, 2023, Royal Navy Clearance Diver Matthew Moreton, who shared a cabin with PO Paxton, said he had gone to sleep with the keys to the weapons storage on his belt.
He told the court he was called to the weapons storage the following day, where a rifle was missing, along with ammunition.
The diver later found PO Paxton dead in the showers, it was said.
His death came 12 years after Samuel “Ricky” Hatton, 20, shot himself on the same warship at Portsmouth Naval Base.
The engineering technician had been affected by the death of Matthew “Spider” Webster, who died on board HMS Hurworth in Faslane, Argyll and Bute, in February that year.
Paying tribute to PO Paxton, his mother, Linda said: “I absolutely loved him. He had a great sense of humour. A really good lad.
“He loved his kids, loved being a dad. He loved his job, absolutely loved it. He joined up when he was 19.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.