LETTER: Deepcut soldiers deserve an inquiry too

LETTER: In a written statement given in Parliament on May 14, 2008, the Secretary of State for Defence announced that there would be a public inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa, an Iraqi civilian who died in Iraq in September 2003.

He described that death as a disturbing incident, not just because a man died in the care of the British Army but because an investigation by the Royal Military Police and a subsequent court martial highlighted further important questions that needed to be answered.

The inquiry is established under the Inquiries Act 2005 and is chaired by Sir William Gage, a retired Court of Appeal judge.

Figures from the inquiry to June 30 this year show that the inquiry has cost £4 million to date and hearings resume on September 16.

While I readily recognise the absolute justification for such an inquiry, should we not expect a similar inquiry into the deaths of the four young recruits who died at Deepcut Army barracks between 1995 and 2002?

These deaths could also be described as disturbing incidents, not just because four young people died in the care of the British Army but also because an investigation by the Royal Military Police, a subsequent civil police investigation and review by Sir Nicholas Blake, QC, all highlighted further important questions that need to be answered.

Des James

(Father of the late Cheryl James, whose death at the Deepcut Army barracks remains unexplained)

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