HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- Daily Telegraph Recruits 'still ruled
by fear at Army base' A regime of fear, bullying and predatory sexual behaviour still pervades the Surrey barracks where four soldiers have died in mysterious circumstances, The Telegraph has learnt.
In the past few weeks one private has taken an overdose, a corporal was caught having sex with a young female soldier and the base was put on alert after a stranger with a "handgun" was seen near the perimeter. The incidents were revealed yesterday as the families of two of the soldiers who died at the Royal Logistics Corps headquarters at Deepcut - Pte Geoff Gray and Pte James Collinson - met detectives for a briefing on the police investigation into their deaths. Pte Collinson's father Jim, 39, from Perth, Scotland, said later: "The Army have tried to sweep this whole affair under the carpet and seem to believe they have no one to answer to. "It is disgraceful. We just want to know the truth and uncover what has been happening at Deepcut." Surrey Police announced two weeks ago that officers had reopened investigations into two earlier deaths, that of Pte Cheryl James, 18, who was found dead on guard duty in November 1995, and Pte Sean Benton, 20, found with five gunshot wounds to the chest in June of the same year. The Army found that all four had committed suicide, but two coroners have recorded open verdicts and a regime of bullying and intimidation has been uncovered at the base, where there have been 28 courts martial for violent conduct since 1995. Far from anything changing, bullying and predatory sexual behaviour are still going on at Deepcut, The Telegraph has been told. In the past few weeks a young soldier who "could not take it any more" has attempted suicide, according to the source who added: "The pressures became too much for him. He took an overdose because he couldn't handle the training and the way they treated him. "They don't give a f**** about you. Everyone wants to appear bigger than they actually are but when it comes down to it some of them can't handle the pressure. "You can go to the training staff if you have a problem but they have no time for you because they are too busy." Discipline at the camp was described as "excessive" with privates being fined �200 for leaving their lockers unlocked. In another incident a corporal, who had openly boasted about his predatory sexual behaviour, was caught having sex with a young girl soldier on the drill square. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that there had been an "inappropriate" relationship between a corporal and a private. The man was being disciplined and an internal investigation was taking place, a spokesman said. According to The Telegraph's source, the corporal boasted about his sexual behaviour. "He was always bragging about having sex with different women. He was always walking into the female block without knocking. "When you are his level you can get away with it. When he was caught having sex on the drill square he tried to bribe them with �30 to keep their mouths shut. I'm sure they [the Army] were aware of him before he got caught." Tensions soared last Monday after a member of the public saw someone acting suspiciously around the perimeter of the base, carrying what looked like a handgun. Police eventually tracked down two boys who had been playing with a capgun outside the base and a memo was circulated telling soldiers to be extra vigilant. "Morale is at rock bottom," said the source. "All anyone talks about is the soldiers who died. Everyone is scared. People believe the most recent deaths were murder. "Lots of people just want to get out. The atmosphere is so bad you could cut it with a knife. Soldiers are afraid to go out on patrol and this latest incident on the perimeter has just made everyone more worried. "It's scary doing patrol because you don't know who is behind you. There aren't enough people on guard. There are lots of places where you can easily get into the camp." A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said in the case of the corporal, disciplinary action was taking place but the man had not been dismissed. Referring to the overdose of the private, he said: "There may have been an incident which is being dealt with by the appropriate people on the ground. Most of these things will be investigated by Special Investigations Bureau to make sure that bullying is not a factor." The spokesman defended the Army's record on stamping out bullying and added: "We take it extremely seriously and we do everything to ensure that any indication of bullying is dealt with. "The point these incidents show is that we are being vigilant; these things are being detected; we have the necessary safeguards in force." --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ |
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