Tom EdwardsHereford & Worcester political reporter
Family handoutThe mother of a former soldier – who is thought to have taken his own life after years of mental health struggles – says veterans are still failing to get the support they need.
Robert Homans was found dead at a house in Worcester last month. He was 35 and had completed two tours of Afghanistan during his career in the Army.
His mother, Dawn Turner, said he struggled to access help with housing and mental health and has called for the government to be “held accountable”. “All we kept hearing is: you are not a priority,” she said.
The Ministry of Justice said they had invested more than £25m in specialist mental health support for veterans.
Family handoutMs Turner, who lives in Eckington, set up a charity, Stepway, in 2019 to support veterans, following a previous failed suicide attempt by her son.
She said he had tried to take his own life on three occasions prior to his body being found last month.
At the time of his death, he was homeless and was sofa surfing.
“Like a lot of young lads, he was young – he’d only turned 19 when he first went to Afghanistan,” she said.
“He grabbed it with two hands when he first went to war, but it was a lot for all of them; all those young men. They were so young.”
Robert spent 10 years in the Royal Horse Artillery after signing up in 2006, working as an artilleryman firing guns and then being promoted to bombardier.
Ms Turner said: “In his one ear he went completely deaf – all the bangs, all the work on the guns in Afghanistan, that really affected his health.
“He used to get terrible headaches – it wasn’t mental at the time, it was physical; he would say, ‘Make it stop’.
“When he divorced and he ended up back in Worcester, he was told there was a six-month waiting list for mental health support.
“He had also been trying to get housing but was told, ‘You’re a single male’, and there was a two-year waiting list.
“He was suffering mood swings, fatigue – he was struggling a lot, and nobody was helping him.
Family handout“I remember him saying to me, ‘Mum, the system is broken’.”
She has launched a campaign called Rob’s Army – Justice for Veterans to pressure the government into treating veterans better.
“The Armed Forces Covenant isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Rob was told he wasn’t a priority despite all these promises that veterans would get help,” she said.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
“The Government and the MoD [Ministry of Justice] are failing our veterans. I want them to be held accountable,” added Ms Turner.
An MoD spokesperson said: “Our deepest condolences go out to Robert’s loved ones, and our thoughts and sympathies are with them.
“While we cannot comment on individual cases, we want to ensure that no veteran falls through the cracks.
“The government has invested more than £25m into Op COURAGE so that veterans in England can continue to access specialist NHS mental health and wellbeing services.”
