The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Army apology for family over soldier’s death at Deepcut
Inquest: Things ‘could have and should have been better’
The army has apologised to the family of a young soldier who died at the notorious Deepcut Barracks.
Brigadier Chris Coles told an inquest there were “quite a number of things that could and should have been better” at the time of Private Sean Benton’s death in June 1995.
The 20-year-old was found with five bullets in his chest, shortly after he had been told he was to be discharged.
He was the first of four young soldiers to die of gunshot wounds at the Surrey barracks between 1995 and 2002.
Perth 17-year-old James Collinson died of gunshot wounds there in 2002.
His family are pushing for a separate inquiry into his death.
Giving evidence during a fresh inquest at Woking Coroner’s Court, Brigadier Coles, head of the Army Personnel Services Group, was taken through a statement he made last November.
Beforehand, he addressed Pte Benton’s sister, Tracy Lewis, and twin brother, Tony, saying: “The statement acknowledges quite a number of things that could and should have been better at the time of Sean’s death.”
Brig Coles said: “The set-up of Deepcut and the ratio of instructors and trainees was not as it should have been and not as it would be now, and that led to the risk that people in training in Deepcut... their welfare was not properly attended to in the way it should have been, and for that I’m very sorry.”
Pte Benton’s family have campaigned for years for a full investigation into his death amid allegations that he suffered prolonged physical and psychological bullying.
A Royal Military Police investigation led to an initial inquest finding of suicide in 1995.
Ms Lewis and Mr Benton applied for a second inquest in July 2015, which was granted last year.
An army spokesman added: “Nobody wants to know more than we do what can be done to reduce the risk of a tragedy like Private Sean Benton’s death happening again.”