SAS hero’s grieving widow whose stepson also died serving in Afghanistan killed herself after watching Remembrance Day service on TV
Joanna McAleese, 49, was married to SAS hero John - a Staff Sgt in the elite unit who stormed the Iranian embassy in London to free 19 hostages in 1980
THE grieving widow of an SAS hero killed herself after watching the Remembrance Day service on TV, an inquest heard yesterday.
Joanna McAleese, 49, was found dead alongside a photo of her late husband John last November.
Ex-SAS Staff Sgt John McAleese was part of the band of elite soldiers that stormed the Iranian embassy in 1980 - ending a six-day siege broadcast on live TV.
Joanna was also grieving for her soldier stepson Paul McAleese - who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2009.
She was working in a supermarket in Brecon, South Wales, when she was struck down by depression as Remembrance Day approached last year.
Her friend and flatmate Monica Golwacka told the hearing: “She had spread pictures of her husband and son on the table in the conservatory.
“She was upset and drinking red wine - she asked me to join her to watch the service of remembrance on TV.”
STARED AT PHOTOS
The inquest heard Joanna left her flat to have a tattoo of a lily on her left shoulder.
Ms Golwacka said: “When I saw her later she was just staring at the photos.
"I asked her if she was OK and she said all was good.”
Grandmother Joanna failed to turn up to work and her body was found in the Brecon Beacons by dog walker Richard Lynch the day after Remembrance Sunday.
A picture of John in military uniform was found next to her body, along with some pills and a wine box.
BATTLED DEPRESSION
Joanna, of Brecon, was being treated for depression and alcohol abuse.
She was also upset that a man who allegedly sexually assaulted her had been released from police custody.
Her GP Dr Anthony Morgan told the hearing in a written statement: “There was a history of alcohol problems involving the death of her husband and stepson.”
FAMILY TRAGEDIES
The court heard Staff Sgt John McAleese died of natural causes in Greece in 2011.
He had a distinguished army career was awarded the Military Medal and went on to act as bodyguard for three Prime Ministers.
His son Paul was serving with the Green Jackets when he was killed by an IED in Helmand Province in August 2009.
Five days before her death on November 12 Joanna sent a text to a mental health worker saying she was very low.
Nurse Carol Jones told the hearing: “She said she was having horrific dreams and finding things harder to deal with.
“Remembrance Sunday was coming up, it was a painful time for her because she had lost her husband and stepson in the area forces.”
The cause of death was given as mixed drug toxicity.
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Assistant Powys Coroner Rachel Knight said: “It is clear that Joanna had suffered some terrible tragedies in her life which had gone on to affect her mental health greatly.
"She had struggled to deal with losing loved ones and a recent sexual assault.
“That day it was her intention to take her own life."
Verdict: Suicide.
RESCUED! How SAS heroes stormed the Iranian embassy to end a six-day siege in 1980
BRITAIN'S elite fighting force the Special Air Service (SAS) came to national attention during the 1980 raid on the Iranian embassy.
The siege started on April 30, 1980, when six Iranian men forced their way into the embassy at Princes Gate, London.
They took a total of 26 people hostage including a diplomatic protection officer PC Trevor Lock and a team of BBC journalists and crew who were applying for visas.
The ruthless terrorists were from the group the Democratic Revolutionary Front for Arabistan who opposed the Iranian regime led by Ayatollah Khomeini who had seized power in the 1979 revolution.
The group demanded the release of 91 political prisoners in Iran and also wanted a plane to escape the UK with the hostages.
As skilled hostage negotiators talked with the terrorists over the phone, MI5 specialists lowered microphones down the embassy’s chimneys.
Tiny holes were also drilled through the walls, to accommodate listening devices, from the neighbouring buildings as road-work drills rattled outside to disguise the noise.
Before the rescue mission, several female hostages were released along with one male BBC journalist who had feigned stomach cramps.
The six-day siege came to an end when the terrorists executed one of the hostages named Abbas Lavasani.
Lavasani had reportedly argued with the gunmen including the terrorist leader Awn Ali Mohammed, 27, who was given the code name “Salim” by the SAS.
The elite fighting unit, who had been carefully formulating a plan to raid the building, were then called into action.
The rescue mission named Operation Nimrod involved the building being stormed from all sides including the roof.
The team who entered through the roof also dropped an explosive through the skylight to cover their entrance and cause confusion among the terrorists.
Iconic news footage and pictures show the SAS troops abseiling through the windows of the embassy.
The start of the raid was actually rushed when one abseiling SAS fighter accidentally put his boot through a window.
The elite fighters stormed the building and shot dead all but one of the terrorists.
A total of 19 hostages were rescued.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123 or 020 7734 2800.