Deaths at Deepcut army barracks

The Deaths at Deepcut Barracks is a series of incidents that took place involving the deaths in obscure circumstances of four British Army trainee soldiers at the Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut in the county of Surrey, between 1995 and 2002.

The most recent inquests took place at Woking Coroners Court from 2016 to 2019. General Lord Dannatt, a former Chief of the General Staff, in 2016 stated on BBC Newsnight to Emily Maitlis that it was his view that "there should be a public inquiry into the Deepcut Barracks deaths which would be practical and reasonable". A fourth inquest for one of the recruits, James Collinson, initially due in 2020-21, was halted in 2019. His death remains a mystery and an open verdict.

The fatal shootings, self-inflicted according to legal authorities that investigated them at the time of the original events, of recruits in repetition in similar circumstances at the same facility, in a comparatively limited period of time, drew substantial press and media attention to the incidents, and became an extended legal contest between the families of the trainee soldiers concerned and the legal authorities involved as to what had actually occurred. This culminated in a repeat of the original inquests, in one case a hiatus of 20 years occurred until a new inquest was conducted.

This lengthy legal contest compelled Surrey Police authorities to investigate further, and created a pressure to reveal camp life and its organisation for recruits. The details that emerged over nearly two decades of Police and media investigation, interviews with recruits, television documentaries, and a legal review, illustrated a plethora of changes required for the Army, especially the Royal Logistic Corps, to make changes to how it recruited and treated military trainees. Senior army officers presided over a 'catastrophic' failure in their duty of care towards recruits, an influential Commons committee revealed in 2005.

Background

The trainees were in Phase 2 of the British Army's training syllabus with its Royal Logistic Corps at the Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut, in Surrey, when they lost their lives through rifle-fire in a series of similar incidents over a six-year period from 1995-2002.

The trainees

The four deaths were:

• On 9 June 1995, Private Sean Benton (20 years of age), from Hastings, East Sussex, England, died from five bullet wounds in his chest after going on an unauthorized lone patrol of the Barracks' perimeter. A BBC Panorama investigation claimed the 20-year-old, from Hastings in East Sussex, was attacked as he slept by a gang wearing gas masks. On another occasion, the programme said, he was thrown through a window after falling out of favour with a sergeant for answering back. A friend of Pte Benton, Trevor Hunter, said the recruit had been the target of "vicious verbal attacks and humiliating abuse" which drove him to take his own life. "He was an easy target because he had a croaky voice, he spoke his mind and his kit was a mess," he said. The Army said it was suicide and an inquest concurred. Mr Swann said it was impossible for Pte Benton to have killed himself, suggesting he had been shot four times from a distance and only once from close range. However, there were two witnesses to Pte Benton's death and both soldiers gave evidence to the Blake review of what they saw happen. A second inquest was ordered after a campaign by the family for a full investigation amid allegations he suffered prolonged bullying. It heard from more than 170 witnesses. There were claims the recruit was "constantly punished", assaulted and bullied, and at one stage "shackled", but former barracks staff have said they would have known if there was mistreatment. At its conclusion in July, Judge Peter Rook QC recorded Pte Benton's death as suicide. 

• On 27 November 1995, Private Cheryl James (18) from Froncysyllte, Llangollen, Wales, died from a single bullet wound in her head, her body was found in a wood not far from her abandoned guard post. The Army said her death in November 1995 was suicide but an inquest the following month recorded an open verdict. That was quashed by the High Court and a second inquest held in 2016, when coroner Brian Barker QC concluded her death was suicide. He said the wound was "self-inflicted" and the 18-year-old recruit from Llangollen in north Wales had fired the gun intentionally. Pte James's father, Des James, believed his daughter suffered sexual harassment and violence at Deepcut, and said the family was "deeply saddened" by the conclusions of the inquest. The coroner agreed there was a "sexualised" atmosphere at the barracks and there were far too few officers to train and look after the young recruits, who were bored and undisciplined. When he gave his findings, Mr Barker praised the Blake review as "meticulous". 

• On 17 September 2001, Private Geoff Gray (17) from Seaham, County Durham, England, died from two gunshot wounds in his head whilst on guard duty, having left colleagues to carry out a lone prowler patrol in contravention of the routine Barracks' guard-duty procedure.The Army said he killed himself and the first inquest returned an open verdict. Some aspects of his death seemed mysterious, including reports that a figure was seen running away from the area and suggestions his body was moved shortly after his death. 

• On 23 March 2002, Private James Collinson (17) from Perth, Scotland, died from a single gunshot wound in his head whilst performing guard duty, his body being found near the Barracks' perimeter fence. Once again, the Army said the 17-year-old from Perth had killed himself but an inquest returned an open verdict. His parents insisted he was a happy, cheerful young man, full of pride at being a soldier and making plans for his future, and had no reason to take his life. Mr Swann said it was "unlikely" bullet wounds to the underside of Pte Collinson's chin and head were self-inflicted, but it was possible they were the result of an accident. Pte Collinson's mother, Yvonne Heath, said: "I don't believe that my son pulled that trigger but at the same [time], I don't believe anyone wished him dead. I think in the regime at Deepcut at the time there was very little supervision. I think some silly prank went terribly wrong." 

First inquests

In the original public inquests, held after each individual death, the Coroners' accepted investigations by the Royal Military Police and Surrey Police, and concluded one of suicide in the case of one of the recruits (Sean Benton), with the other three deaths receiving open verdicts.

Over the course of several years the families of the trainees challenged the original investigations, and began a sustained legal campaign to have the circumstances of the deaths publicly re-examined. The British press also gathered further accounts from other recruit soldiers who had been at the barracks at the time the shootings occurred, uncovering a disturbing picture of abuse of trainees in the facility by elements among its training staff, and criticised the original investigations into the incidents for a lack of a forensic examination of evidence. Parliamentary criticism followed and a reconsideration of the scope of the investigations and scrutiny of training within the Ministry of Defence.

A later review/re-investigation by Surrey Police treated the four deaths as potentially related. An investigation consequent to this finding, also by Surrey Police, identified a number of failures of the Army's duty of care at the barracks, leaving the opportunity and motive for suicide available. Its findings were rejected by most members of the families. The findings led to media and families' criticism of the army investigations of the deaths over record keeping, transparency and particularly maintenance of evidence and forensic material.

The most astonishing part about this case was the new allegations of gang rape, systematic bullying and sexual harassment at the Army's Deepcut barracks that were revealed in a leaked police report.

The report contains more than 100 allegations of serious abuse at the Surrey training camp, where four young recruits died from gunshot wounds between 1995 and 2002.

It catalogues claims of rape, indecent assault, degrading treatment and racism made by Deepcut trainees during the Surrey Police inquiry into the deaths of the four recruits.

In the majority of cases, the abuse is alleged to have been carried out by non-commissioned officers (NCOs).

However, Surrey Police stressed that many of the allegations were "untested" and advised they be treated with caution.

The Ministry of Defence said it had already indicated to the force that it wished to investigate the most serious claims "as a matter of urgency”.

The confidential report, which focuses on the years in which the four soldiers died, was presented to the Commons Defence Select Committee as part of its investigation into the duty of care regimes of all three armed services.

In its annexes, the report lists dozens of serious allegations, from both male and female recruits, including many of criminal offences.

According to the dossier, when one former female trainee went to the guardroom at the barracks to complain she had been raped she was told she would be "disciplined for being in the male accommodation". Another said her complaint of rape had been ignored.

One trainee complained she had been urinated on during the night by an officer, while other female trainees claimed they had been indecently assaulted while in bed.

A male recruit told of a racist group at the base, known as the Black Card Club, who would place a card with a cross on it on the bed or locker of a recruit who was "due a beating”.

Another told how poor performing trainees would be subjected to beatings by other recruits, who would wear "respirator masks" to hide their identities.

The dossier includes claims that trainees were forced to parade in the middle of the night in their underwear, while on another occasion they were allegedly forced to stand outside in their boxer shorts while an officer threw darts at them.

Many alleged that officers were having sex with female recruits, with some claiming that officers would use their position to offer an easier life in return for sexual favours.

Other female recruits were pressured, harassed or "coaxed" into sexual favours, it was claimed.

One female recruit was ordered to run around the parade square wearing just a beret and mess tins, while another was forced to swim in a cesspool.

Other youngsters complained of having sustained physical injuries as a result of bullying, suffered nervous breakdowns or attempted suicide.

One even said he had put a gun in his mouth and considered shooting himself "due to the constant abuse”.

The allegations were compiled by Surrey Police during its investigation into the deaths of Geoff Gray, 17, from Seaham, Durham; Sean Benton, 20, from Hastings, East Sussex; James Collinson, 17, from Perth and Cheryl James, 18, from Llangollen, north Wales.

The force took statements from more than 500 current or soldiers during its exhaustive 15-month inquiry.

Its final report called on the Government to launch a broad inquiry to examine bullying and the care of young soldiers across the Army as a whole.

It gets a lot worse when you really get into the grisly details from those who were abused.

Dan Griffiths, now 38, joined up on the same day as Cheryl James in 1995. They were both 17 and did their 10 weeks basic training at Pirbright in Surrey.

He says: "I'd always been that little Action Man as a kid and always wanted to join the Army." He describes the regime at Pirbright as "hard at the time but good fun.”

Dan Griffiths was small for his age, he weighed under nine stone. And he describes how one morning in the middle of a room inspection he was singled out by one NCO who used a broom handle to beat him unconscious. "He just came straight towards me. He didn't push me over with his hands, he just pushed me over with his body. You could see that he was angry and we didn't know why. He then stormed back out. Thirty seconds or so later he came back in with a broom handle. I felt the one hit, he broke my fingers and then he swung against my head and that's the last I remember really of that.”

He was later told by his roommates that the attack had continued while he lay unconscious. "I then learned that he'd gone into the broom cupboard and got the other half of the broom handle and come back in and then carried on, whilst I was unconscious, to beat me.”

When he came round his attacker was gone and he was in agony with a large lump on his head, bruises all over his body and three broken fingers. "I remember walking to the medical centre in a lot of pain. It hurt. I remember not having the confidence to say what had actually gone on. So I just said that I fell down the stairs.”

He says the culture at Deepcut was so intimidating that he wouldn't have contemplated reporting the attack. And despite his injuries he carried on with physical training.

"If you can imagine training with logs, doing lots of runs, lots of press-ups when your whole body is aching and there is nobody you can go to.”

The next day he saw his attacker. "It was as if it didn't happen. It was just another day for him.”

All the former Deepcut soldiers who have spoken to the BBC say that such behaviour went unpunished. They felt they couldn't report it to those instructors who were in charge of their welfare because they - or those close to them - were the bullies.

In the 1990s women had just begun training alongside men for the first time. At Deepcut this was said to have led to a predatory environment where sexual harassment was routine and for some there was worse. One female former trainee, anonymous in the programme and known only by the pseudonym Suzanne, says she was hooded and then raped by men who had come into the female accommodation block.

"I was like half asleep and then the next thing is I felt something being put over my head. I couldn't breathe and I started getting punched at first and I was getting held down.

Sobbing, she goes on. "I know there were definitely two of them. I was forced on and it just seemed to last for ages. I couldn't breathe. I tried to fight at first to get them off me but I couldn't. I was trying to tell them to stop but I couldn't because I was just held down.”

Like Dan Griffiths, Suzanne, didn't report the attack.

"I didn't tell anyone. I was too frightened to. I was just scared because I didn't know who it was and you couldn't talk to anyone. I could have been going to tell somebody who'd been in that room. I still haven't been able to talk about if for the last 20 years.”

Julia Boulton was one of the few female non-commissioned officers, NCOs, at Deepcut in the mid-90s. She believes the base was out of control and she says of her fellow instructors:

"A lot of them were actually put there because nobody else wanted them. It sort of had a bit of a reputation of being a dumping ground to get rid of unwanted NCOs.”

At 22, Dawn Benjamin was slightly older than most of her fellow recruits when she joined up in 1995. She says as the only black woman in her troop she was subject to racist abuse from one NCO at Deepcut.

And she describes being targeted during her basic training at Pirbright by an instructor who had eaten a banana. "I was told to take the banana peel and 'put it in my pouch you monkey'. So I took the banana peel and put it in my pouch.”

Dawn, now 44, says someone else reported this and the instructor was made to apologise. But the episode made her begin to question Army culture.

"I was quite wary and confused but I didn't want to give up." She stayed in the Army for eight years and says throughout her career she suffered abuse because of her colour.

Other female recruits tell of how instructors at Pirbright carried out serious sexual assaults on them. One says she was singled out on the day of her passing our parade while her family were on the base. She didn't tell them or anyone else.

In a statement the Army said: "We cannot comment on the allegations now being made by individuals who were at Training Establishments during this time, some or all of which may have previously been considered as part of civilian and military police inquiries. We would strongly encourage anyone who has not reported alleged criminal behaviour to contact the police.”

Stressing that the Army has taken steps in the last twenty years to improve training facilities it added:

"We care deeply about our recruits and take our responsibility for their welfare extremely seriously. All Armed Forces training sites are now subject to independent scrutiny by Ofsted inspectors and their assessments help us to drive continuous improvement. Ofsted recently found all establishments to be either good or excellent.

"The Chief of the General Staff has been clear that creating a diverse, inclusive Army that treats all its soldiers with respect is one of its highest priorities and that the Army will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour in any form.”

There was however a bittersweet ending

A former training instructor at the controversial Deepcut army barracks was jailed for four and a half years for a series of sex attacks, some of them sado-masochistic, on young male soldiers.

Ex-warrant officer Leslie Skinner, 46, used his position to subject "vulnerable, naive" teenagers to sexual assaults, some involving riding whips and canes.

Skinner, who was sentenced at Kingston crown court, had a known history of predatory sexual behaviour towards teenage boys, but the British army had allowed him to train recruits at the Surrey barracks. The court heard his victims had feared the consequences of disobeying orders.

Skinner - who is married with two young children - had been due to stand trial facing nine charges of indecent assault and one of male rape.

However, with a jury already sworn in to try him, he changed his plea at the last moment, admitting five counts of indecent assault. Four indecent assault charges and the charge of male rape will lie on file.

The sexual attacks Skinner admitted to were carried out on recruits aged 17 to 19 between 1992 and 1997. His victims had remained silent about the assaults for up to 10 years because they said they knew Skinner was "rank", and in the army you did "what you are told”.

Skinner, of Marton, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, had kept canes and a riding crop in his locker at the base for sexual purposes.

It emerged that he had been sent to Deepcut after having already been convicted of a sexual offence by a court martial. In 1996, his rank was reduced to private after he indecently exposed himself to a 17-year-old boy in a car park in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Instead of being discharged from the army, he was sent to Deepcut later that year.

"For some reason best known to itself, the army then placed you in a position where you were in contact with and had influence over young recruits," Judge Charles Tilling told him. "Far from heeding the warning that your reduction in rank should have given you, you proceeded to indecently assault another three young vulnerable soldiers.

"Those who enter the army at that sort of age have - and should expect to be able to have - protection from this sort of behaviour.”

The court heard that in addition to the case in Northern Ireland and the assaults Skinner was sentenced for, he had also been court martialled for a further indecent assault and jailed for six months before being discharged.

Skinner's actions in the 90s first came to light when one of his former victims decided to speak out about the abuse after watching a discussion on the BBC's Kilroy programme. Four men eventually came forward to tell police of assaults ranging from one waking up to find Skinner performing a sex act on him to others being made to take part in sado-masochism.

Skinner was not accused of any connection with the deaths of four young recruits at Deepcut between 1995 and 2002, which officials said were suicides. However, his case highlighted fresh concerns about the care of young soldiers inside the barracks.

The families of the dead soldiers have called for a public inquiry, and have criticised what they believe was a culture of bullying at the base.

The revelation that Skinner had been court martialled prompted Diane Gray, whose son Geoff died at Deepcut in September 2001, to remark: "It was like he was given young, vulnerable recruits on a plate."

Questions in Parliament

After questions in the House of Commons during 2003 and 2004, three Lords asked the government for a public inquiry in November 2004. A response was issued through its whip in the Lords Baroness Crawley:

My Lords, the Government are not so far convinced that a public inquiry will achieve additional information to that already achieved through all the various police, Army and coroner investigations and inquiries. They have already reported. However, as my noble friend said in his supplementary question, a further review by a fully independent figure was announced by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces in the House of Commons. The Government are not complacent on these matters.

The Ministry of Defence in 2004 expanded its relationship with the 'Adult Learning Inspectorate' to provide independent oversight of all British Armed forces training.

Blake Report

In December 2004 a military law QC, Nicholas Blake of Matrix Chambers, was commissioned by the Ministry of Defence to independently review the cases with the voluntary co-operation of involved parties. In March 2006 he published a 397-page report entitled 'The Deepcut Review' with his findings, which concluded that it was probable that the deaths were self-inflicted, but criticised a number of aspects of the Deepcut Barracks training centre at the time of the deaths, which the Report suggested could be construed as having played a role in the suicides.

The points identified by the report were:

• The training environment at Deepcut causing low morale through poor accommodation, limited recreational facilities, and the balance between privacy and dormitory life. 

• Ill-disciplined access to firearms at the barracks. 

• Poor supervision of trainees. 

• A detrimental culture in the barracks had taken root involving ill-discipline, bullying and unofficial punishments. 

• A systemic failure of the means for complaint within the barracks. 

• Low quality instructors on the barracks' staff. 

A report issued by the Army Board of Inquiry in response to the Blake Report was due to be published in December 2007, but was delayed by the Ministry of Defence until May 2009. On release it supported the Blake Report's findings and returned open verdicts on the deaths of the recruits.

Press commentary

The Deaths at Deepcut Barracks, with their obscure circumstances, with questions being asked as to whether they were suicides or foul play by an unknown third party(ies), have drawn substantial coverage in the British media, both in Fleet Street's tabloid and broadsheet titles, and in television news programmes and documentaries.

In December 2002 the British Broadcasting Corporation's Panorama television current affairs programme broadcast an investigation into the barracks at the time of the deaths, cataloguing an abusive culture towards recruits among elements of the training staff, and naming a particular non-commissioned officer as being a problem in this regard.

In 2009 The Mirror newspaper reported that senior police officers investigating the deaths of the four young soldiers at Deepcut seriously compromised the investigation by briefing army top brass on their findings.

Articles by journalists Brian Cathcart and Heather Mills critical of the investigations featured in Private Eye in January 2010, and the publication has been consistently critical of these judgements and supported the families' appeals for further investigation. These criticisms draw on the later investigations to suggest the initial forensic investigations were flawed. Cathcart has also been critical of the treatment of the four cases in the media.

In January 2016, prior to the start of a new inquest into the death of one of the recruits, Cheryl James, The Independent newspaper revealed a culture of bullying, sexual assaults and rape was claimed to be widespread at Deepcut barracks in the year Cheryl James, was found shot dead. Almost 60 allegations of such incidents, said to have taken place in 1995, were made to Surrey Police by former recruits but had hitherto escaped public attention.

Following the end of Cheryl James's second inquest Friday 3 June, the same day BBC2 broadcast a documentary at 9pm called, 'Deepcut; The Army's Shame'. The documentary was referred to as 'shocking' and indeed during interviews with former recruits it described a 'malevolent culture' of bullying, violence, attempted suicide, rape, male-rape, threats of murder, and racism. A former NCO, Julia Boulton was one of the few female non-commissioned officers, NCOs, at Deepcut in the mid-90s. She believes the base was out of control and she says of her fellow instructors: "A lot of them were actually put there because nobody else wanted them. It sort of had a bit of a reputation of being a dumping ground to get rid of unwanted NCOs."

One recruit who trained with Cheryl James, was interviewed by ITV News following the conclusion of her second inquest. In the interview the recruit said James had a 'bubbly personality' and her suicide didn't 'add up'. He consequently said life at the camp was 'chaotic' and there was 'no structure'. He was the same recruit that appeared on BBC2's documentary and described how he was abused by an instructor and knocked unconscious by a broom handle.

A few weeks later in July 2016, another former recruit who had known Sean Benton was interviewed live on BBC News's Victoria Derbyshire programme. During the interview he described an insidious culture of 'bullying and paranoia' and described how he and three other recruits locked each other inside cupboards to escape from the regime. The cupboards had to be locked with a padlock from the outside and was the 'only place instructors couldn't access’. Following the interview Des James, father of army recruit Cheryl James said that this interview of Deepcut was another sign that there was a culture of bullying at the camp that, "People are starting to realise something was very wrong there." He said he was still pressing for a public inquiry.

In 2017 it was suggested in the media that detectives investigating the deaths of the four soldiers at Deepcut did not properly consider a list of hypothetical suspects, according to a report. Devon and Cornwall Police reviewed Surrey Police's investigations and found the force was aware of a number of theories suggesting specific individuals could have killed the soldiers. However this line of questioning was never followed up.

Following Sean Benton's second inquest in 2018, a judge hit out at “incompetent” police and the “toxic” Army base after ruling that the “troubled rookie soldier blasted himself to death with a machine gun.”

In 2019 the parents of Perth soldier James Collinson who died mysteriously at the Barracks said they will drop their fight for a new judicial inquiry. His death remains a mystery.

Further inquests

Cheryl James

On 18 July 2014, the High Court of Justice ordered a second inquest into the death of soldier Pte Cheryl James following a judicial review brought by her family. The judge found “an insufficiency of inquiry” into her death. The original inquest, held in 1995 soon after her death, lasted less than one hour and recorded an open verdict. Surrey Police was criticised for its handling of the case, Mr. Justice Thornton stating that it had at first refused full disclosure of the reinvestigation report to Pte James's family. Surrey Police subsequently handed over 44 lever arch files of documents pertaining to the case after being notified that an application for an Order for Disclosure was about to be made against it. The force said it had now voluntarily provided all relevant material to the family – since being first requested to in early 2012 – and what had been disclosed "affords fresh grounds for an inquest". The documents handed over included "important material relating to ballistics, the noise of the gunshot, bullet fragments, the finding of the body, the credibility of some witnesses, and further witnesses". The ruling meant that new inquests were also likely to follow into the deaths of the other three trainee soldiers.

On 15 September 2014, it was announced that the fresh inquest would be conducted by Recorder of London, Brian Barker QC.

In April 2015, it was reported in Private Eye that, "on the force's own admission, it has still only handed over 75% of the material it holds" in relation to Pte Cheryl James and that the force had made legal submissions to the Coroner Mr. Barker to delay the new inquest into her death "indefinitely". Private Eye also commented that Pte James's family, "should not be forced to wait any longer by the machinations of the police force which has let them down so many times before". The BBC reported Pte James’ father, Des James, as saying: "It's insensitive that they're delaying it. It's been really tough for us getting to this point. I made the mistake of relaxing and thinking I could leave it to the legal process."Advocacy group Liberty funded lawyers to act for the family saying the delay would: "have a devastating impact on Mr and Mrs James. They have come so far and made so much progress only to have Surrey Police make this eleventh hour request to delay matters. It is intolerable."

In May 2015, Private Eye reported: "Revelations last week that the ‘yellow’ fragment of bullet recovered from the body of teenager Cheryl James [...] did not appear to match the ‘red’ army issue ammunition raises serious questions about the botched investigations and inquiries over 20 years into the deaths". The report added: "The assumption was always that she had committed suicide, even though there was no evidence to connect the SA80 weapon alongside her body with her death: no fingerprints were collected from the rifle; ammunition from it was inexplicably destroyed; the clothing Cheryl was wearing was never examined forensically; and, crucially, the bullet fragment said to have been collected at post-mortem, which we now know was ‘yellow’ (or brass, rather than copper-coated), had curiously disappeared". The magazine added that there was "material to suggest Cheryl had been the victim of serious harassment and sexual violence", which it said had "scandalously […] remained buried" in Surrey police files despite subsequent reviews of the force's initial investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police and the Blake review. Pte James’ parents argued, through their QC, for their daughter's body to be exhumed in the hope of recovering further bullet fragments. Coroner Mr Barker QC postponed making what he described as the "difficult and unusual" step of ordering an exhumation, but rejected the suggestion from Surrey police to delay the inquest and hold it alongside those of the other Deepcut recruits. The coroner announced that there would be a further pre-hearing on Thursday September 10, 2015 and that the full inquest would be held between 1 February and 24 March 2016.

At the September 2015 pre-inquest hearing, the Coroner's Court in Woking was informed that Pte James’ body had been exhumed the previous month and that a post-mortem examination had been carried out by two pathologists, during which metallic fragments were recovered for ballistic analysis. Her family had attended a short reburial service, also in August 2015. The James family's barrister, Alison Foster QC, said that the experts conducting the ballistic analysis "ought not to have a significant connection either with the MoD [Ministry of Defence] or indeed a police force and certainly no connection with Surrey Police" because of what she called a "considerable shadow" over the initial handling of the case.

On 3 June 2016, the appointed Coroner Brian Barker, Q.C. (the Recorder of London), ruled that Pte. James' death was suicide, and that she died as a result of a "self-inflicted shot" which she fired in an "intended and deliberate act". He added: "We have explored as best we can what could be unearthed at this late stage within the legal constraints I am bound by. Clear answers as to why are just not there to be seen.” He also found that the general administrative and disciplinary culture at the Deepcut facility at the time of Pte. James' death fell below the standard expected of a British military establishment.

Pte. James' family rejected the suicide finding, her father stating that there was a "gaping hole [in the evidence], and that he [did not] believe the evidence led to this verdict". Additionally, he described Deepcut as a "toxic and horrible place for a young woman", and called for a public inquiry into the culture of the barracks.

Brigadier John Donnelly, Head of the British Army's Personnel Services, on the announcement of the verdict stated that the Army: '... was truly sorry for the level of supervision that trainees had received at Deepcut in 1995'. Surrey Police also issued a statement that 'mistakes had been made' in their original investigation of the incident. General Lord Dannatt, a former Chief of the General Staff, stated to the media that it was his view that there should be a public inquiry into the Deepcut Barracks deaths. The current head General Sir Nick Carter also stated in press interviews that: "If that’s the best method of getting to the heart of the matter, then I guess that should be the way that we go."

Sean Benton

On 14 October 2016 Mr Justice Collins ruled a new inquest could take place into the death of Pte. Sean Benton as fresh evidence had cast "some doubt" over the conclusion of the first hearing in 1995.

At a pre-inquest hearing at the Old Bailey on 16 Jun 2017, a 10-point list was presented widening the scope to look at all the circumstances of Pte. Benton's death. It included the details of how he died and whether there was “any third-party action” involved in the death.

The second inquest commenced on 30 January 2018, concluding 6 months later. On 18 July 2018 appointed Coroner Peter Rook, Q.C., ruled that Pte. Benton had committed suicide, caused by multiple self-inflicted gunshots to the chest. The Coroner criticised Surrey Police's original investigation into the death, and stated that the initial investigation by the Royal Military Police was also inadequate, including a lack of witnesses testimony, no fingerprints having been taken, and no evidence having been provided concerning Pte. Benton's life at the barracks. He also described what had been revealed by the second inquest's investigations as a 'toxic culture' that existed at the time of Pte. Benton's death at the barracks, and noted that Pte. Benton was frequently the recipient of harsh treatment. Benton’s sister, Tracy Lewis, told the Coroner that shortly before he died he had complained of being pushed out of a window at the barracks, as well as being “shackled and forced to parade around a canteen”.

One witness recalled Sean Benton, who was from Hastings in East Sussex, being punched, lying helpless on the ground, facing verbal abuse and being "humiliated", her statement showed. In one excerpt read out at Woking Coroner's Court, the witness said Pte Benton was punched in the stomach by Cpl Martin Holder, falling to the ground. Another witness described how they had spoken to Sean Benton as they were both going on guard duty in June 1995. She told the inquest he had been picked on quite severely. Another witness described the culture of Deepcut and how he had tried to block out memories of the camp since leaving the Army. The same witness said Sean was 'very nervous' as a result of bullying.

Army sergeant Andrew Gavaghan, also cited at the inquest of Cheryl James for ordering another recruit to have sex which he denied, was accused of bullying recruits at Deepcut but told the Coroner he would do things differently now. A commanding officer criticised Gavaghan's natural style of leadership and said he was "lacking bite" with young soldiers, the Court heard. Mr Gavaghan said he used to suggest jokingly to soldiers he had a "twin brother" who did the shouting, but another witness said recruits called him a "psychopath". Indeed other recruits referred to Gavaghan as a 'madhead', and 'completely unhinged'. Some recruits were so frightened they locked each other in cupboards to escape from instructors. Another recruit recalls Gavaghan kicking her in the small of the back and said he was “normally quite venomous”, and did not like women in general and that all the male soldiers were afraid of him. However a former officer disagreed and described Gavaghan as a “firm troop sergeant”. She did not see him scream and shout or lose control with the trainees or make them hide in fear.

Another former trainee described sharing a room with Sean Benton and said he was once attacked by other trainees - one in a Halloween mask - before he heard one say: "We've got the wrong bloody bastard, where is he?". And on one occasion a hot iron was put under his duvet, but he did not report it in case he was targeted too, he added. The former soldier said he came forward during the inquest having been ignored by Surrey Police when he contacted the force three times in 2002.

Pte. Benton's family accepted the suicide verdict, but criticised Surrey Police and the Army. The family asked Surrey Police to open a criminal investigation because of multiple examples of testimony given during the inquest that described bullying and violence at the Deepcut facility. Surrey Police opened a criminal investigations into the circumstances which led to the death of Sean Benton who was allegedly kicked and punched by an instructor 'days before his suicide'. This investigation is currently in progress as of 2020.[7] Following the end of his inquest in July 2018 Sean Benton's sister, Tracy Lewis, stated to the press outside Woking Coroner's Court that: "Sean was a victim in a nasty game".

Following the Coroner's verdict, Brigadier Christopher Coles, Head of Army Personnel Services, apologised to the Benton family and accepted that there had been a failure to give Pte. Benton welfare support during his time in the barracks.

Geoff Gray

In March 2015, the family of Pte. Geoff Gray demanded a fresh inquest after receiving 16,000 pages of new evidence from Surrey Police. At the original inquest, which lasted four hours, only 20 pages of evidence had been presented. Gray's father told the Daily Mirror: "I can’t go into what I’ve seen in the new pages, but it is all stuff that was not seen by the coroner at the original inquest into Geoff’s death. […] We were very, very naive. We should have had representation. It is pretty definite that we will be making an application to have a new inquest." The additional material was released following a legal request from counsel representing his family. The force said that it had "agreed to this request on a voluntary basis" adding that "Surrey Police is not reinvestigating the deaths, but is committed to providing disclosure to the families through their legal teams and will provide the appropriate support for any potential inquests in the future."

On 28 November 2017, Lord Justice Bean and two other judges sitting at the High Court of Justice ruled it was "necessary or desirable in the interests of justice" for a fresh inquest to be held into the death of Pte Geoff Gray. They ordered the inquest in 2002 should be quashed with its verdict and findings. Justice Bean said the scope of the new inquest "and the issue of whether the coroner should, or should not, sit with a jury, should be a matter for the coroner".

20 July 2018 at a pre-inquest hearing at the Old Bailey it was reported that Private Gray could have been shot by another trainee at the barracks. John Cooper QC representing Geoff Gray's family told the hearing the main issue was "simply, who pulled the trigger". Mr Cooper also added that there was evidence of "systemic failings" at Deepcut and allegations of a "lack of procedure and lack of protection for these young recruits".

The second inquest into the circumstances of the death of Pte. Gray began on 26 February 2019 at Woking Coroner's Court. Mr. Peter Rook, Q.C., was appointed as the officiating Coroner, the same judge who presided over Pte. Benton's second inquest 12 months earlier. Again there was to be no jury. At the start of the second inquest the Ministry of Defence denied claims that key internal reports cataloguing life at Deepcut Barracks would not be submitted as evidence. An anonymous letter sent to Mr. John Cooper QC, the Gray family's barrister, made a series of claims about how the inquest would operate. The letter, which was apparently written by someone with detailed knowledge of previous inquests into the deaths of recruits at Deepcut, stated: “It has been made clear that other source documents detailing the situation in 2001-03 are not to be part of the new evidence regarding the Gray statement for the upcoming inquest, and that the statement structure as set out for Benton is to be maintained.”

The letter further stated that the British Army intended to withhold from the new inquest material in its possession contemporaneous with Gray's death that showed that its senior command echelon responsible for the external supervision of the Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut, had been repeatedly notified that it was in a state of disciplinary disorder, but had failed to correct the situation. The Ministry of Defence's legal representatives issued a statement that there was no truth in the anonymous letter's allegations.[63]

On 20 June 2019 Coroner Peter Rook, Q.C., at Woking Coroner's Court ruled that the original investigation into the circumstances of Pte. Gray's death had been "cursory, and carried out with a closed mind" by the authorities responsible, and that Pte. Gray's parents were right to have sought a second inquest, and should not have been placed in the situation of being required to seek it through the original inquest's inadequacies. He went on to rule that, according to the evidence he had examined Pte. Gray had committed suicide, stating that he had created an opportunity for himself to be alone with a rifle, and "I am sure that he administered the shots himself, and intended to end his life". The court had not enquired as to Pte. Gray's motivation for the act, beyond establishing that he appeared content with life in the Army, and there was no evidence of mistreatment towards him within it; the judge also accepted expert evidence that suicides can take place "out of the blue", for no apparent logical reason.

Pte. Gray's family afterwards stated to the press that they were dissatisfied with the verdict which they found illogical, that they had been denied recourse to a jury hearing, and that the court's conclusion had been partly arrived at using unsupported assumptions, and that there were thousands of pages of evidential material on the case created by Surrey Police's investigations that had been unexamined by the second inquest and not made public because of legal restraints. Pte. Gray's mother stated that she wanted a full public inquiry into the circumstances of the serial recruit deaths at Deepcut Barracks between 1995-2002.

On the announcement of the verdict, Brigadier Coles, Head of the British Army's Personnel Services, stated that "The Army deeply regrets Pte. Gray's death", and that reforms to procedures relating to investigations of such events and supervision of recruit soldiers in relation to firearms had been made in consequence, he also stated that the verdict laid to rest rumours about third party involvement in the death, and that the judgement had established that "such speculation was groundless".

James Collinson

The mother of Pte. James Collinson as of 2018 was reported as seeking a new inquest into the circumstances of his death at Deepcut barracks. In July 2019 it was reported that the parents of Pte. Collinson had abandoned their campaign for a new inquest into the circumstances of his death, stating that having observed what the other families had been through in the second inquests they didn't have the emotional or physical strength to submit themselves to the same process. They further stated that they supported calls from the other families for a public enquiry into the condition of Deepcut Barracks in the 1995-2002 period, requesting that it should examine why it took the serial violent deaths of four recruits before the authorities admitted that there was something seriously wrong at the facility.

Anthony Bartlett

In June 2021, it was revealed that a fifth recruit, Pte Anthony Bartlett, had died at the barracks in July 2001 from an overdose of prescription painkillers; the BBC reported that "a former detective who investigated the later deaths at Deepcut [retired Det Ch Insp Colin Sutton] said it was 'staggering' he was not told about it”.


Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_at_Deepcut_army_barracks

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35458611

https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/deepcut-rape-claims-7079869.html

https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/deepcut-rape-claims-7079869.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/the-reporters-36430464

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/oct/22/military