WE WANT ANSWERS
Robert Fleeting died on an RAF base in Oxfordshire in 2011. It was ruled he had taken his own life but parents Charles and Susan are in their seventh year of campaigning and fighting to have questions answered. Andrea O’Neill reports on their justice batt
An East Kilbride couple have vowed to continue their fight for answers following their son’s death on an RAF base.
The Fleeting family held a protest at a ceremony marking the RAF’s centenary.
Firefighter son Robert was found dead in his room at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire in 2011. The 24-year-old was said to have taken his own life.
But Susan has pointed to the handling of the investigation into Robert’s death and said:“I wanted to highlight their failings and state that for their 100 years we have 100 questions.”
‘One hundred years, one hundred questions’.
That was the cry of an East Kilbride mum to RAF dignitaries over the “injustice” of her son’s death.
Susan Fleeting made sure her voice was heard when she picketed Hamilton’s county buildings last week as an event marking the centenary of the Royal Air Force took place.
Waving placards and banners with her daughter Stacey-Anne, 27, and around a dozen friends and supporters which read: ‘RAF 100 years, 100 questions’, Justice for Robert campaigners made their presence felt as Provost Ian McAllan’s guests arrived for the ceremony.
Susan’s 24-year-old son Robert, an RAF firefighter, was found hanged in his room at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire in September 2011 after a night out with his comrades.
A coroner ruled the Greenhills man, a former pupil of Ballerup High School, took his own life.
But his parents, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders veteran Charles, 56, and Susan, 57, suspected foul play and launched a petition calling for inquests into all non-combat deaths on a military base to be heard by a jury.
More than six years on from the tragedy, the family continue their crusade for justice in the hope they will one day get the answers they so need – and finally find peace.
Commenting on the protest, Susan told the News: “We did manage to get the attention of a few of the higher ranks of the RAF. Some snubbed us and one even took a leaflet and binned it. But I think we made our point and got our voices heard.
“I’m proud of the RAF and what they have achieved over 100 years – from the Battle of Britain to the war in Syria – but I’m not proud of what happens when something goes horribly wrong and they shut the door instead of facing up to their responsibilities.
“I wanted to highlight their failings and state that for their 100 years we have 100 questions.”
A coroner ruled that senior aircraftsman Robert, who was engaged to be married, took his own life after having consensual sex with RAF medic Ryan Charlton.
However, his parents believe he was murdered after an initiation ceremony went wrong.
They believe the investigation has been flawed from the start and have accused the RAF and Thames Valley Police (TVP) of a cover-up.
Charles said: “Why do police forces and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) tell people that they are open and transparent when they are clearly not? Our case proves this.
“Let me remind folk in his summing up at Robert’s inquest – which no RAF officer or base commander attended – Oxfordshire coroner Nicholas Gardiner stated that the characters of the RAF [witnesses] have been brought in to question, and they haven’t been forthcoming with the truth.”
TVP said the coroner’s verdict of suicide was “consistent” with their investigation into Robert’s death.
Robert’s distraught family launched Facebook campaign ‘Justice for Robert’ and vowed to leave no stone unturned until they get justice – their fight has gained the support of more than 20,000 people worldwide.
The couple were delighted when watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission, now known as now known as the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), upheld their complaints three times and revealed a catalogue of failings by TVP when the case was reopened in 2013.
The RAF conducted its own inquiry but it has not been shared with Robert’s parents or made public.
A post-mortem examination took place at an Oxford hospital two days after Robert’s death and his body was returned to the family who were unaware of the findings which revealed Robert had suffered internal injuries before he died.
Robert was cremated with the permission of the police less than two weeks later.
But the News can now reveal that Robert was not given a forensic autopsy and was never formally identified after his death – another thing his grieving mother says was taken away from her.
“That’s the first thing that should have been done before Robert was released to us and brought back to East Kilbride,” Susan said.
“It just shows the sheer contempt for the investigation from the onset – it was flawed from the start. In hindsight it was ignorance on our part but at the time you just assume everyone involved will do their job properly.”
The Fleetings say they still don’t have full disclosure of the facts two years on, despite a 2016 court order instructing the police and RAF to hand over all paperwork from the service inquiry into Robert’s death.
The family will return to court again in August to seek a contempt of court conviction against TVP who, the couple claim, say they haven’t received consent from the RAF to hand over the documents.
Charles added: “Being a police force, they are fully aware of the law and the legal system.
“If they had contested the court order, there are time restraints and legal obligations to follow. They have done neither yet they can blatantly ignore a court of the land and seemingly be untouchable.
“What message does that send to the general public? A court has made a ruling and they should abide by it, irrespective if they agree with the decision or not. But, two years on, we are still waiting.
“It clearly states in the Deepcut and Hillsborough reviews that full disclosure must be given to ensure openness and transparency – once again this is not happening.”
The family were given a glimmer of hope last March after securing a meeting with the justice minister for coroners Phillip Lee, with the help of local MP Dr Lisa Cameron, on what would have been Robert’s 30th birthday.
But Susan says Mr Lee’s promises to take their case to the attorney general failed to materialise.
“He promised us the world then gave us an atlas,” she said. “You just hit a brick wall everywhere you go.”
“The RAF are celebrating 100 years but if they want to have a force to celebrate another 100 years they have to start cleaning up their act.
“We don’t just accept what we are told, we will ask questions and we will demand answers.
“To them our children are just a number. To us our children are our number one priority. We can’t change the world but if we can stop one family from going through the suffering and pain we have had to then our fight for justice hasn’t been in vain.
“We are determined to get the answers we need and we won’t stop until we do.”