Was Deepcut soldier raped before she died?
A YOUNG squaddie who allegedly killed herself at an Army base had been singled out by officers for being at an illicit party the night before she died, an inquest heard yesterday.
Private Cheryl James was found dead with a bullet wound in her head
Instructors at the “highly sexualised” Deepcut barracks cleared the room where the late-night do was taking place of all soldiers except for Private Cheryl James, it was said.
No evidence was given about what happened after the room was emptied but, 24 hours later, the 18-year-old from Llangollen, North Wales, was found dead with a bullet wound in her head.
A fresh inquest into the young woman’s death in 1995 had previously been told by her family’s barrister there was evidence to suggest she “may have been sexually coerced or raped the night before, or before the time of her death”.
Cheryl’s father Des James pushed for a second inquiry
Details of the new recruit’s last days were revealed to Surrey coroner’s court in Woking by fellow privates.
The first inquest recorded an open verdict after the military marked it down as suicide.
Pte James’ parents Des, 66, and Doreen, 64, pushed for a second inquiry, saying Surrey police’s investigation into the shooting was “cursory and under-resourced”.
Brigadier John Donnelly admitted the atmosphere at the barracks was 'heavily sexualised and toxic'
They believed policy failures at Deepcut led to her death. High Court judges ordered a fresh inquest in 2014 after quashing the original verdict.
Speaking about the party, Alison Sharp, another Deepcut recruit, said Pte James’ two feuding “boyfriends” were also in the room when the instructors broke it up.
Ms Sharp said: “We had to leave, but Cheryl had to stay. I’m not sure whether her boyfriends had to stay as well.”
Cheryl’s parents believed policy failures at Deepcut led to her death
Earlier, Brigadier John Donnelly admitted the atmosphere at the barracks was “heavily sexualised and toxic” with senior instructors seeing young women as a “sexual challenge”.
A lack of supervision and senior women officers, and the availability of alcohol, led to a “morally chaotic environment” for vulnerable young female recruits, the Army’s director of personal services added.
About 800 used contraceptives were found in the grounds of the base during a clean-up.
The inquest continues.