A TRAGIC soldier told his ex “you won’t hear from me again” in a heartbreaking call seconds before he smashed into a tree, an inquest heard.
Joshua Parsons, 26, suffered catastrophic injuries when he crashed at 80mph in Beckenham, South East London.
South London Coroner’s Court heard the signaller was on the phone to his ex-girlfriend Georgia Clements at the time of the horror.
Georgia told Joshua she would come and find him to calm him down before hearing a thud following the crash, it was said.
The couple had an “on-off relationship” but had split around a week before the crash, Mail Online reports.
On June 9, 2024, Joshua went to a local pub in West Wickham, South London, before returning home later that night.
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His mum Sally Parsons heard the soldier leave the house again and assumed he had gone for a walk, the court heard.
Georgia, who was also on a night out, then received a voicemail from Joshua, saying: “I have nothing left. I’m sorry.”
The inquest was told Georgia called him back and that it was clear he was driving.
She said: “During our final call he was asking ‘Are we ever going to get back together?’
“I said I couldn’t do this. He said ‘You won’t hear from me again’. I told him to pull over and that’s when I heard the crash.”
Met Police crash expert PC Peter Devoy said there were no faults with the road or car and there had been a “continued deviation” towards a tree.
The speedometer was stuck at 80mph but later went down to 60mph, which could have been the possible speed when Joshua crashed.
The signaller, who was a member of 220 Signal Squadron, was almost twice the drink-drive limit at the time.
PC Devoy added: “All of the evidence was consistent with it appearing to be a deliberate act.”
The court was told Joshua was due to be deployed to Poland two months before his death but this was cancelled after he tried to stab himself.
Recalling the February 24 incident, his mum Sally said she was in bed when Joshua and Georgia returned home having both “had a lot to drink”.
She said Georgia later ran upstairs in a panic saying Joshua had tried to hurt himself and he was restrained by his dad and brother.
Joshua spoke to Ministry of Defence GP Dr Laura Vincent two days later and told her he experienced thoughts that he’d be better off dead and wanted to be taken off duties.
But he said the stabbing incident was “spur of the moment” and denied he had any relationship issues.
Dr Vincent said: “I was very concerned about him, but from what I could see there was no risk of a further immediate suicide attempt.
“I rely on my instinct a lot as I know patients do not always open up fully about what they are experiencing. He was actively seeking support.”
The inquest heard the Army downgraded Joshua as unavailable for deployment.
He was later put on a Care Action Plan to give him extra support and started an anxiety management course after reaching out for help.
Joshua, who asked for his family not to be told what was happening, was reviewed weekly and showed signs of improvement, it was said.
But the court heard his total discharge was discussed by top brass on the grounds of him being temperamentally unsuitable for the role.
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It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
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Recording a narrative verdict, Assistant coroner Paul Renteurs said it was “incredibly sad” Joshua died so young.
He added: “Miss Clements describes Josh as ‘extremely erratic’ at this time and he left her a voicemail that said he had ‘nothing left’.
“It seems clear she was on the phone to Josh when his car collided with a tree.
“In all likelihood Josh lost consciousness immediately after the impact. Mercifully I think it is overwhelmingly likely he did not experience any pain.”
The coroner continued: “Josh drove his car into a tree, intending in that moment to end his life. It was an impetuous act.”
Following the tragedy, Joshua’s sister Jodie Ashbolt launched a JustGiving page to raise money for mental health charity Papyrus.
She said: “Please remember that you can’t always tell when someone is struggling.
“Just please always check in on those around you and spread the awareness. There needs to be more on mental health and young suicide.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123 or Papyrus on 0800 068 4141