Week after attempted suicide, UK veteran succeeded

My son was left to die alone

The Express UK
By SIAN HEWITT
Nov 25, 2018

A GRIEVING mother has told of a string of failures that led to her war hero son killing himself. Danny Johnston of the Special Reconnaissance, sister unit of the SAS, took his own life in May while suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.

PROUD... Danny loved his career in the Army but the force he served went on to ignore his plight (Image: Mark Kehoe)

"It is only since his death that I have been made aware of the incredible work he did," Mrs Johnston said. "He was a genuine hero." But Danny's career was cut short when, on leave, he was found with non-prescription Valium. Mrs Johnston said: "He never slept well. He had seen a lot - I still don't know the depths of what he witnessed but he used the Valium to sleep, only while he was off duty at home. But he was immediately discharged.

Now his mother Viv has revealed the blunders that led to the 35-year-old elite soldier's body being found in woodland near his home in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, three days after he went missing. Mrs Johnston reveals how: ? Danny had made an attempt on his life a week before his death but doctors failed to help him. She was forced to call for help from ex-Army colleagues to form a search party after an "inadequate" police response.

A police officer falsely announced on social media that Danny had been found, a mistake which resulted in search efforts dwindling while Danny was still missing.

Family friend and Coronation Street actor Daniel Brocklebank, who plays Billy Mayhew, joined in the search and also made a missing person's appeal on Twitter.

"Danny was too special to die alone the way he did," Mrs Johnston said. "He gave his all for this country, only to be completely let down in his hour of need.
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