Royal Navy sailor dies of shotgun wound to head on Portsmouth-based warship as coroner investigates

Petty Officer (PO) Jon Errington Paxton, from Marchwood, Southampton, died onboard the minehunter HMS Cattistock while it was alongside Portsmouth naval base at 3.45am on April 19, 2023.

The pre-inquest review hearing at Portsmouth was told the 38-year-old had access to the keys to the onboard armoury and forensic firearm evidence would be required for the full hearing.

Christopher Wilkinson, senior coroner for Hampshire, told the hearing the full inquest would look at the issue of the security of weapons and ammunition onboard the warship as well as other ships across the fleet.

He added the inquest would look at the mental health of PO Paxton, who had recently gone through divorce proceedings and was facing civilian charges from police in Scotland.

He continued: “There are issues around firearms onboard a Royal Navy vessel which is immediately relevant to the circumstances of Jon’s death.”

His death comes after Engineering Technician (ET) Samuel “Ricky” Hatton killed himself using an SA80 service rifle on board HMS Cattistock while it was also berthed at Portsmouth naval base on September 12, 2010.

An inquest into his death heard the 20-year-old had been hit hard by the death of Matthew “Spider” Webster, who had shot himself on board another minehunter, HMS Hurworth, in Faslane, Argyll and Bute, in February that year.

The hearing was told that in the days prior to his death, ET Hatton, who lived in Southampton, had received comments from senior colleagues asking: “Not shot yourself yet?”

Mr Wilkinson said the full inquest into PO Paxton’s death would look at the immediate events as well as the “background in relation to Jon, his personal background and events that affected his life from 2022 onwards, the type of person he was and family background, and some of the events he was going through at the time, particularly his divorce and events that occurred to him while in employment which may have affected his state of mind.”

He said the crew boarded HMS Cattistock, which was undergoing maintenance, on April 6, 2023 when ammunition and weapons were also loaded as well.

He said that he would examine “Jon’s role and the role of others in response to security of weapons and ammunition on board the ship”.

Mr Wilkinson said that PO Paxton had been engaged with the navy’s mental health services at the end of 2022 but had been discharged from them on January 23, 2023.

He said: “I also need to be clear about what procedures and policies were in place throughout the navy, and how they are applied in such circumstances.”

He added that he would look at “what actions were taken and what support was provided to Jon by the navy during that time and any contact he had with navy mental health services, and what follow-up was provided to him and any specific actions he faced following the charges of December 2022”.

PO Paxton’s father, Jon Paxton, told the hearing: “I am not sure he got the support he deserved or required. He probably presented as being a typical man, not wanting to put anyone to any bother and trying to sort it all out himself.

“We spoke about the events quite a bit and spoke about the upcoming court case, and from all the conversations we had he was worried, but not unduly worried, but I think he should have had more support from the navy for his mental health.”

Mr Wilkinson added that he was concerned about delays faced by ambulance crews and civilian police in accessing the scene in the secure naval base, but added that he did not believe any life-saving opportunities for PO Paxton were missed because of this.

Speaking to PO Paxton’s ex-wife Verity and his father, who attended the hearing by video link, Mr Wilkinson said: “I wish to extend my condolences to you and the wider family. I know it will have come as a significant shock to you.”

The hearing was adjourned to a date to be set. PO Paxton described himself in his profile on X as “Scottish, Sailor, Rugby Player” and tributes were made to the father-of-three on the Tottonians RFC social page on Facebook.

The page includes a post stating: “It is with the deepest sadness that the club has lost one of its most charismatic players. Jon Errington Paxton “Paxo” will be sadly missed by so many especially his three children, family and friends.”

One of several tributes posted included a friend stating: “One of the toughest men on the pitch yet the biggest of gentlemen and definitely the maddest in the bar. RIP my friend you’ll be deeply missed.”