“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.” Yvonne Heath, mother of Pte Collinson
My partner and I have been searching high and low for a flat which has taken us to some areas we haven’t been to before. Searches of these unknown territories led me to the story of The Deepcut Four. The story starts at Princess Royal Barracks in Deepcut which is depicted on the map below. This Army base has been around since 1900 and was the garrison of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and the School of Ordnance until it merged into the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993. The Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration is responsible for training the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force officers and other ranks. The college had its headquarters at the Barracks with specialist training taking place elsewhere.
The Suspicious Deaths
On the 9th June 1995, Private Sean Benton, originally from Hastings, East Sussex, died from five bullet wounds to the chest after going on an unauthorised patrol of the Barracks’ perimeter. He was twenty years old. Five months later, on the 27th November 1995, Private Cheryl James from Llangollen, Wales, died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Her body was found in woodland not far from her guard post. She was 18 years old. On the 17th September 2001, Private Geoff Gray from County Durham died from two gunshot wounds to his head whilst he was on guard duty, he had left his colleagues to carry out a lone prowler patrol which was against the rules for the Barracks’ guard-duty procedure. He was 17 years old when he died. Finally, on the 23rd March 2002, Private James Collinson from Perth, Scotland died from a single gunshot wound to the head whilst performing guard duty, his body was found by the Barracks’ perimeter fence.
From left to right: Privates Sean Benton, Cheryl James, Geoff Gray and James Collinson.
Private Sean Benton
Private Sean Benton was on guard at the perimeter fence when he died following five gunshot wounds to the chest. It is alleged that Benton had been victimised whilst at the Barracks; on one occasion it is said that he had been attacked by a gang wearing gas masks as he slept and, on another occasion, he had allegedly been thrown through a window after falling out with a Sergeant after he had answered back. A friend of Benton’s, Trevor Hunter, described these incidents as, “vicious verbal attacks and humiliating abuse”. The Army ruled Benton’s death as a suicide and an inquest was agreed.
An independent ballistics expert, hired by the police and victim’s families, Frank Swann, concluded that it was impossible for Private Benton to have killed himself as one of the shots was close range whilst the other four were from a distance. Regardless of distance, I find myself asking how an individual can shoot himself five times and it be ruled a suicide?
A second inquest was ordered on the 14th October 2016 after the family demanded a full investigation alleging prolonged bullying. Mr Justice Collins ruled a new inquest could take place as fresh evidence had cast “some doubt”over the conclusion of the first hearing in 1995.
The second inquest commenced on 30th January 2018 and concluded 6 months later. 170 witnesses were called at this inquest where it was claimed that Benton was “constantly punished”, assaulted and bullied. There were allegations that he was even shackled. The investigations by Surrey Police and the Royal Military Police were criticised during the inquest as they had failed to adequately investigate leading to a lack of witness testimony, fingerprints and no evidence having been provided concerning Private Benton’s life at the barracks. In July 2018, at Woking Coroner’s Court, Judge Peter Rook QC recorded Private Benton’s death as a suicide caused by multiple self-inflicted gunshots to the chest. Judge Rook QC did recognise that there was a toxic culture at the barracks and that Private Benton had been the recipient of harsh treatment.
Benton’s family accepted the verdict but criticised Surrey Police and the Army. The family asked that Surrey Police open a criminal investigation because of the testimony given describing bullying and violence at the Deepcut facility. Brigadier Christopher Coles, Head of Army Personnel Services, apologised to the Benton family and accepted that there had been a failure to give Private Benton welfare support during his time at the barracks.
Private Geoff Gray
The Army stated that Private Geoff Gray had killed himself, although some mystery still surrounded Gray’s death as a figure had been seen running away the area and the suggestion that his body was moved shortly after his death. The parents of Geoff Gray, Geoff and Diane, said that their son had no girl problems, no money issues, he loved being in the Army and could not understand why he would take his own life, “he could not have been at a better time in his life”. Mr Gray was critical of the Army saying, “I think the Army has had a blase attitude towards young soldiers- you’re in the Army, you’re nothing but a number, but as soon as you’re dead that number is scratched out straight away”. The Grays do not believe that their son’s death has been investigated correctly.
Frank Swann, said that it was “highly unlikely” that Geoff Gray had killed himself. It should be noted that Swann was criticised amid claims he gave more information to the media than the official investigation.
Following a short inquest in March 2002, Gray’s death was recorded as an open verdict. However, in March 2015 the family demanded a second verdict as 16,000 pages of new evidence was provided by Surrey Police. On the 28th November 2017, Lord Justice Bean and two other Judges concluded that it was “necessary or desirable in the interests of justice” for a fresh inquest to be held. They ordered that the inquest in 2002 should be quashed with its verdict and findings. At a pre-inquest hearing at the Old Bailey on the 20th July 2018, it was reported that Gray could have been shot by another trainee at the barracks.
The second inquest began on the 26th February 2019 at Woking Coroner’s Court. Mr Peter Rook QC was appointed as the officiating coroner, the same judge who presided over Private Benton’s second inquest 12 months earlier. On the 20th June 2019, Coroner Peter Rook QC ruled that the original investigation into Private Gray’s death had been “cursory and carried out with a closed mind” by the authorities and that Private Gray’s family should not have been required to seek a second inquest through the original inquest’s inadequacies. Rook went on to rule that Private 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 looked into Private Gray’s suspected motives for committing suicide but accepted that suicides can take place seemingly out of the blue.
Gray’s family did not accept the verdict calling it ‘illogical’. They expressed dismay that this hearing had not taken place before a Jury and that the court had reached its conclusion by relying on assumptions without any supporting evidence. Once again, Brigadier Coles stated that “The Army deeply regrets Private Gray’s death” and that there had been reforms to procedures relating to investigations of such events.
Private Cheryl James
In November 1995, Private Cheryl James was found in woodland outside the barracks with a bullet through her forehead. The Army ruled her death a suicide but at an inquest her death was recorded as an open verdict. A Judge would later find that the inquiry into James’ death was insufficient with the original inquest held shortly after her death lasting less than one hour. The police were also criticised for their handling of the case. Mr Justice Thornton stated that it had refused full disclosure of the re-investigation report to Private James’ family. Surrey police subsequently handed over 44 lever-arch files of documents pertaining to the case after being informed that an application for an Order for Disclosure was about to be made against it.
On the 15th September 2014, it was announced that that a second inquest would take place and would be conducted by Brian Barker QC. 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 continued: “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”. In addition to this, material suggested that Cheryl had been the victim of harassment and sexual violence whilst at Deepcut.
At the pre-inquest hearing in September 2015, the Coroner’s Court was informed that Private James’ body had been exhumed in August and that a post-mortem examination had been carried out during which metallic fragments were recovered for ballastic analysis. Alison Foster QC, the barrister acting for the James family, said that experts conducting the analysis “ought to have a significant connection either with the MoD or indeed a police force and certainly no connection with Surrey police” because of the “considerable shadow” over the initial handling of the case.
On the 3rd June 2016, Coroner Barker QC concluded that Cheryl James’ death was a suicide and that she had died as a result of a “self-inflicted shot” which she fired in an “intended and deliberate act”. He also found that the general administrative and disciplinary culture at the Deepcut facility at the time of Private James’ death fell below the standard expected of a British military establishment.
James’ family rejected the finding with James’ father, Des, believing that his daughter had been the victim of sexual harassment and violence whilst at Deepcut saying that the barracks was “a toxic and horrible place for a young woman”. The family were heart-broken and deeply saddened by the conclusions of the inquest. The Coroner did agree that there was a “sexualised” atmosphere at the barracks saying that there war too few officers to train the young recruits who were undisciplined.
Brigadier John Donnelly 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 admitting that mistakes had been made during the original investigation.
Private James Collinson
Private Collinson was found with a single gunshot wound through his chin whilst on guard duty in May 2002. As we have seen before, the Army concluded that Collinson had committed suicide but an inquest returned an open verdict.
As seen with Private Gray, Private Collinson’s parents described him as happy, cheerful, full of pride at being a soldier and making plans for his future, meaning that he had no reason to take his life. Frank Swann said that it was “unlikely” that the bullet wounds to the underside of Collinsons’ chin and head were self-inflicted but that it was possible that they were the result of an accident.
Yvonne Heath, Collinsons’ mother, 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”.
As of 2018, Yvonne Heath was reported as seeking a new inquest into her son’s death but, as of 2019, it was reported that Collinson’s parents had abandoned the idea of a second inquest stating that, having observed what the other families had been through, they didn’t have the emotional or physical strength to submit themselves to the same process. Collinson’s parents asked that the Deepcut Barracks examine why it took the tragic and violent deaths of four of its recruits before the authorities admitted that there was something seriously wrong.
The Blake Report
In December 2004, Nicholas Blake, a military law QC, was commissioned by the Ministry of Defence to review the cases independently. A report was published in March 2006 entitled ‘The Deepcut Review’. In his report, Nicholas Blake concluded that it was probable that the deaths were self-inflicted but criticised the Deepcut Barracks training centre which could have been construed as having played a role in the suicides. The following points were identified by the report:
- The training environment at Deepcut caused 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-discpline, bullying and unofficial punishments;
- A systematic failure of the means for complaint within the barracks;
- Low quality instructors on the barracks’ staff
Mr Blake was critical of the “harassment, discrimination and oppressive behaviour” within Deepcut Barracks.
Yvonne Heath explained that, “things have changed so much since 2002. That would never be allowed to happen now and I take it all back to the culture, all what was going on at Deepcut behind the scenes if you like. They had drinking dens in the woods and that’s where these soldiers died, outdoors, nobody died inside. They were all outdoors. And what was going on out there, because it was completely out of control?”
That’s the Verdict.
Resources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35458611
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_at_Deepcut_army_barracks
https://www.itv.com/news/2019-06-20/deepcut-what-has-happened-so-far/
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