Police blame soldier girl’s grieving father for holding up Milly probe
THE father of a teenage soldier who died at the controversial Deepcut base was accused by police of hindering the search for missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler with his ‘distracting’ letters.
The allegation came as Des James gave evidence on the first day of the long-awaited new inquest into the death of his 18-year- old daughter more than 20 years ago.
He and his wife Doreen have been fighting for a ‘thorough investigation’ into Private Cheryl James’s death since she was found with a single bullet wound to the face in November 1995.
She was one of four young recruits to die at the Surrey base in unexplained shootings between 1995 and 2002, amid allegations of abuse and a cover-up.
Yesterday, her 66-year-old father was subjected to a bizarre line of questioning by the counsel for Surrey Police – which reopened the investigation into Pte James’s death in 2002.
Mr James said this investigation had been ‘cursory’ and there had been an ‘assumption of suicide’ by officers.
He also raised concerns about the force’s impartially from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
However, John Beggs QC, for Surrey Police, claimed the probe had been adequate and instead accused Pte James’s father of bombarding the force with complaints. He suggested Mr James was ‘distracting’ officers from two important live investigations ongoing at the time – the search for missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, who vanished in Surrey in March 2002, and the hunt for ‘ M25 rapist’ Antoni Imiela. Milly’s body was found six months later and Levi Bellfield was eventually convicted of her murder.
Mr Beggs said: ‘At the time Milly Dowler was still missing and yet to be found … the notorious M25 rapist had just got going’. Mr James told the court he had voiced concerns that Surrey Police’s resources were ‘stretched’, but had been reassured they were not.
However, Mr Beggs asked: ‘Did it ever occur to you that you yourself with your masses of letters and emails that you sent in that month ... that you may have been distracting Surrey Police during that very intense period?’
Coroner Brian Barker immediately halted the line of ques- tioning as shocked gasps were heard inside the court in Woking. Mr James expressed his surprise at the ‘strange’ suggestion, before Mr Beggs was sternly told by Mr Barker: ‘I’m not happy with that question.’
But the testy exchange continued, with Mr Beggs repeatedly referring to Mr James as a ‘bereaved father’ incapable of being ‘impartial’ or ‘objective’.
He denied that police had leapt to the conclusion that Pte James took her own life.
But retired HR director Mr James said: ‘I do object to you referring to me as a grieving father as if I was hysterical.’ After repeatedly being question about an article he wrote for The Guardian last week criticising the investigation, Mr James objected again. He said: ‘I thought this inquest was about the death of my daughter. Is it an inquest into the death of my daughter or about my article in The Guardian newspaper which you do not seem to like very much?’
Mr Beggs also criticised Mr James for complaining about the use of two MoD officers in the investigation – saying this was ‘not relevant’ – and for questioning the experience of police interviewing him.
The father-of-two responded: ‘You’re patronising, I’m not stupid. I’m not a little boy.’
At the time of her death Pte James, from Llangollen in Wales, was undergoing initial training with the Royal Logistical Corps. She was on duty alone armed with an SA80 rifle.
In 2014, High Court judges ordered a fresh inquest after they quashed an open verdict recorded in a hurried, hour-long hearing in December 1995.
The new hearing is expected to last up to eight weeks.
‘Masses of letters
and emails’