Paratrooper who saw ‘severe’ action in Afghanistan died after falling from hotel roof while waiting to be diagnosed with PTSD
Former soldier Peter O'Sullivan, who underwent the gruelling SAS training, was high on Crystal Meth at time of death
A FORMER paratrooper plunged to his death from a hotel rooftop while waiting for medics to decide if he had post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an inquest heard.
One mental health worker feared Peter O'Sullivan might have PTSD after he had seen "very severe" military activity while serving in Afghanistan.
The nurse referred Mr O'Sullivan to a psychiatrist - but the 37-year-old did not survive the four month wait for an appointment.
He took crystal meth while on holiday in Vietnam and fell to his death from the top of the Liberty Hotel in Ho Ch Minh City on Feb 13th this year, the Gloucester inquest was told yesterday.
Mr O'Sullivan's service in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan and training for the SAS left him with anxiety symptoms.
His family, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, are now hoping the authorities will recognise Mr O'Sullivan's death was caused by PTSD.
Father Anthony said "Pete experienced some very severe military activity in Afghanistan.
"He came down with psoriasis and it caused him a lot of stress.
"He started to have a tic and facial problems during his service and that, to me, clearly indicated that he was suffering from PTSD."
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Anthony also said the SAS training which places soldiers in "tremendous stress" can also trigger PTSD.
His sister Angela Cleer told the inquest her brother joined Parachute Regiment in 2002 becoming a member of elite Pathfinder platoon, before leaving the army in 2010 and starting work in close protection in Iraq.
He married a Thai woman in a Buddhist ceremony in Bangkok in 2012.
Two years later the marriage was struggling and he was having bad dreams, said Mrs Cleer.
The inquest heard that in September last year Mr O'Sullivan was in a Thailand hotel threatening to harm himself.
Mrs Cleer said: "He had taken a lot of drugs and had been trying to jump off a hotel but his partner and the hotel staff had prevented him from doing so.
"My understanding was that it was the drugs which had made him behave that way.
"He was very paranoid when we got there and said he thought his partner was poisoning him."
In December last year the Combat Stress nurse Ian Coombs believed him at "high risk of suicide" and referred Mr O'Sullivan to a consultant psychiatrist.
"I think he may have had a PTSD but I am not able to diagnose myself," Mr Coombs told the inquest, who revealed Mr O'Sullivan admitted using cocaine when in Gloucestershire.
His dad said the family were "very upset" about not being informed about his suicide risk.
Mr O'Sullivan ended up travelling to Vietnam to take a kite surfing course.
He never went on the course and on Feb 13th fell from his hotel onto the roof of a house and died from multiple injuries.
The assistant Gloucestershire coroner, Dr Simon Fox QC, heard that methamphetamine (Crystal Meth) and another unknown drug was found in his blood at post mortem.
Dr Fox ruled there was insufficient evidence to justify a conclusion of either suicide or accidental death.
The inquest heard that the drug Crystal Meth has been known to cause paranoia.
After the inquest Mr O'Sullivan said the family were anxious to establish that his son had PTSD so he could be remembered at the National Arboretum.
"We want his service to be recognised there," he said.
"To do that evidence of post traumatic stress related to military service is needed.
"Although that has not been part of the inquest conclusion today we feel the evidence has helped us to achieve recognition for Pete."
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