Petty Officer Jon Errington Paxton, 38, died by suicide with a service rifle on board the minehunter HMS Cattistock in April 2023, according to an inquest. The Royal Navy sailor took keys to a weapons storage locker from a sleeping colleague before shooting himself while the vessel was docked in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
The inquest heard that Paxton was in the process of divorcing his wife and mother of his children, Verity Wyng, and was struggling with the marital breakdown. He had also been accused of sexual assault following an incident at a bar. He was arrested and charged in December 2022 while at home in Scotland and was on medical discharge at the time of his death.
Paxton, who joined the Royal Navy in 2003 and was a father of three, also had debts up to £25,000. His partner at the time, Clare Anderson, stated that Paxton had told her he was in "pain" and that "everybody would be better off without him."
He had suffered from depression and anxiety, and was deemed medically unfit for several months prior to his death. His brother, Ross, told the inquest that Paxton struggled with his marriage breakdown and expressed that "the one thing he couldn't live with was another man living in his own house with his kids."
Area Coroner for Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, Jason Pegg, concluded that Paxton had taken his own life. Pegg noted that while Paxton had access to his children, the extent of that access was not a matter for the inquest. He also stated that the sexual assault allegation, while potentially bringing "great shame" to someone in the Navy and as a father, would have had an outcome that is "purely speculation."
Pegg ruled that the weapons and ammunition were securely stored separately. He addressed Paxton's mother and brother, stating, "I get the impression you were very proud of Jon. It seems to me he was a good father, a good son, he was serving his country in the Royal Navy."
Paxton's mother, Linda, described him as a "really good lad" who "absolutely loved" his children and his job in the Royal Navy, which he joined at age 19. His executive officer described him as a "big character."