A SANDHURST cadet was found dead in his car with a shotgun wound after failing to make it into the Parachute Regiment, an inquest heard.
Edward Milner, 26, had been driving back to the Royal Military Academy for the first day of the new term when the horror unfolded.
The army officer cadet was discovered with a fatal gunshot wound to the head from his own licensed shotgun on May 6 this year.
An inquest heard how Edward had wanted to join the paratroopers or Irish Guards but was filtered out of the selection process.
He had struggled on a ten day battle camp, which included exercises such as sleeping rough on the Breacon Beacons.
His Sandhurst platoon commander Maj Danielle Davis told the hearing she recommended retraining at the end of the second year.
She said: “The ten day battle camp did not go well for him.
“My assessment of him as a soldier was very good.
“However, in the command appointments there was repeated struggle with him articulating himself well and problem solving in a demanding environment.
“Whilst he did not perform to the standard, there was an improvement.”
Lieutenant Colonel Joe Big, head of training at Sandhurst, told the court there was “enough evidence” to suggest Edward could still make it.
The inquest heard he also had an interview scheduled with the Princess of Wales’s Regiment.
Edward, an economics graduate, had enjoyed a skiing holiday with his girlfriend Grace Bolton a week before the tragedy.
She told the court she had only ever heard positive things from him about Sandhurst.
Grace, who had been with the talented rugby player and boxer for six years, also said she hadn’t noticed anything wrong on the trip.
Police were called to the A286 near Midhurst, West Sussex, following reports a car had left the carriageway.
The car had rolled down a steep embankment and hit a tree, the court heard.
Assistant Coroner Joe Turner recorded a narrative conclusion as there was not enough evidence to conclude Edward had taken his own life.
He added: “All the evidence I’ve heard is contrary to that.
“I’m not satisfied the intention was there for suicide.”
Sandhurst, which was attended by Prince William and Prince Harry, has been forced to increase its support for cadets following the death of Olivia Perks in 2019.
The 21-year-old was discovered in her room at the academy after a “complete breakdown in welfare support”, an inquest ruled.
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