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| Deepcut barracks was heavily sexualised and misogynistic, court told | Deepcut barracks was heavily sexualised and misogynistic, court told |
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| The atmosphere at Deepcut barracks was “heavily sexualised, misogynistic and toxic”, with senior male instructors seeing young women as a sexual challenge, an inquest into the death of a teenage recruit has heard. | |
| Pte Cheryl James, 18, from Llangollen, north Wales, died from a single gunshot wound to the head while posted on lone guard duty at the Surrey barracks in 1995. | Pte Cheryl James, 18, from Llangollen, north Wales, died from a single gunshot wound to the head while posted on lone guard duty at the Surrey barracks in 1995. |
| The lack of supervision and welfare structure, availability of alcohol, and lack of women in senior ranks led to a “morally chaotic environment” for vulnerable young female recruits, a senior army officer claimed. | The lack of supervision and welfare structure, availability of alcohol, and lack of women in senior ranks led to a “morally chaotic environment” for vulnerable young female recruits, a senior army officer claimed. |
| Guidelines for instructors and non-commissioned officers over sexual relations with junior ranks were not clear, and an unlocked room was even set aside for trainees and recruits to use for sex, the coroner, Brian Barker QC, was told. | Guidelines for instructors and non-commissioned officers over sexual relations with junior ranks were not clear, and an unlocked room was even set aside for trainees and recruits to use for sex, the coroner, Brian Barker QC, was told. |
| Alison Foster QC, counsel for James’s parents, told the new inquest into the death that the atmosphere was such that men of senior rank might have thought it “acceptable to try it on with a young female to persuade her to have a relationship”. | Alison Foster QC, counsel for James’s parents, told the new inquest into the death that the atmosphere was such that men of senior rank might have thought it “acceptable to try it on with a young female to persuade her to have a relationship”. |
| Giving evidence about policies in place at the time, Brig John Donnelly, the army’s head of personal services, agreed and said it would have been “an abuse of power”. He claimed such an environment would put young women “in a very invidious position” and make training very difficult. | Giving evidence about policies in place at the time, Brig John Donnelly, the army’s head of personal services, agreed and said it would have been “an abuse of power”. He claimed such an environment would put young women “in a very invidious position” and make training very difficult. |
| New male recruits were shown a room “that was never locked” in the barracks’ middle block and told they could use it for sex, Foster told the hearing at Woking coroner’s court. One soldier, who has given a statement, said he was told by a senior rank: “As you can’t have relations in your room, feel free. You are all young and single.” | New male recruits were shown a room “that was never locked” in the barracks’ middle block and told they could use it for sex, Foster told the hearing at Woking coroner’s court. One soldier, who has given a statement, said he was told by a senior rank: “As you can’t have relations in your room, feel free. You are all young and single.” |
| Foster asked Donnelly about a report on Deepcut drawn up after the death of James and three other young recruits, who all died at the barracks from gunshot wounds between 1995 and 2002. | |
| The report referred to “female recruits being extremely promiscuous”, Foster said, adding that one could “look in vain” for any similar comments about male recruits. “It appears to be blaming the women for this,” she said. Donnelly agreed the language was “difficult” but said it reflected the “language of the culture at the time”. | The report referred to “female recruits being extremely promiscuous”, Foster said, adding that one could “look in vain” for any similar comments about male recruits. “It appears to be blaming the women for this,” she said. Donnelly agreed the language was “difficult” but said it reflected the “language of the culture at the time”. |
| Foster asked him: “Would you accept there was a heavily sexualised atmosphere at Deepcut?” | Foster asked him: “Would you accept there was a heavily sexualised atmosphere at Deepcut?” |
| He replied: “There was certainly a sexualised atmosphere at Deepcut, yes.” | |
| The pressure, said Foster, “could be intolerable” especially if it came from a person of higher rank. Asked if all factors combined led to a morally chaotic environment for young women, he claimed the army then did not have adequate structures in place to promote duty of care. | The pressure, said Foster, “could be intolerable” especially if it came from a person of higher rank. Asked if all factors combined led to a morally chaotic environment for young women, he claimed the army then did not have adequate structures in place to promote duty of care. |
| Asked if he would accept that in 1995 there had been “a certain element of misogyny in the army”, he replied that in its “attitude and language” certain parts of the army then were misogynistic. | Asked if he would accept that in 1995 there had been “a certain element of misogyny in the army”, he replied that in its “attitude and language” certain parts of the army then were misogynistic. |
| Jane Warboys, who served with James, told the inquest that while undergoing her driver training at Leconfield, east Yorkshire, before being posted to Deepcut, James had been “chased around the desk” by a sergeant who locked the door and made an unwanted sexual advance to her. She said the two women had discussed it later, but did not report it as “there was no one appropriate” and “we didn’t know who to report it to”. | |
| Women made up 25% of trainees. There was one female troop commander and one female NCO in James’s squadron, but both were away on the weekend she died. “If she wanted, that weekend, to speak to anyone female with responsibility, there was no one, was there?” Foster asked Donnelly. | Women made up 25% of trainees. There was one female troop commander and one female NCO in James’s squadron, but both were away on the weekend she died. “If she wanted, that weekend, to speak to anyone female with responsibility, there was no one, was there?” Foster asked Donnelly. |
| Warboys, who was on guard duty on another gate on the day James died, said James had been “full of beans” as they gathered in the guardroom to collect their SA80 rifles and ammunition. | Warboys, who was on guard duty on another gate on the day James died, said James had been “full of beans” as they gathered in the guardroom to collect their SA80 rifles and ammunition. |
| Some time later, she told the inquest , she heard a single shot, it was “very distinctive”. She said a civilian guard had joked on hearing the shot that James must have shot herself. “She was laughing about it. I rebuked her, saying Cheryl wouldn’t have done that,” said Warboys. | |
| In the days before her death, James had been given “rubbish jobs” to do, said Deepcut friend Fran Durnall, who said she believed this was because a troop sergeant “took a shine to her” and when it was “not reciprocated” he “picked on her”. | |
| “My personal understanding was he did have a thing [for her], a shine, and she didn’t reciprocate it. And that is when the bad jobs started happening. He knew she didn’t like him,” said Durnall. | |
| The inquest heard the sergeant in question had told a 2006 inquiry into the Deepcut deaths that he “unequivocally denied any inappropriate behaviour” and said: “I hardly knew her. I had no interest in her. I don’t know why trainees would suggest I did any of these things. I can assure you I did not.” | |
| James was seeing two soldiers at the time of her death and in a dilemma over which to choose, the inquest heard. She had been dating Sapper Jim Carr-Minns, but had recently started also seeing Pte Paul Wilkinson. Durnall said: “She didn’t know what to do. | |
| “She said: ‘I’ve got to make my mind up.’ I wouldn’t have classed it as a problem. It was just a situation she was in and she couldn’t decide which way to go.” | |
| Alison Sharp, who was also at Deepcut, told the inquest that on the night before the death James and others had been at a room party in an empty accommodation block, drinking. She claimed the evening became uncomfortable due to relationship complications between James and two men at the party. Instructors broke up the party, she said, and everyone was asked to leave except James, who was told to stay behind. | |
| The hearing was told James should never have been on lone guard duty as policy prohibited females undertaking guard duty alone. Donnelly said this was because they were more vulnerable to external threats, rather than any internal threat. | The hearing was told James should never have been on lone guard duty as policy prohibited females undertaking guard duty alone. Donnelly said this was because they were more vulnerable to external threats, rather than any internal threat. |
| He also said that the army had not adequately assessed the risk of self-harm posed to young recruits with loaded weapons. The risk among 18- to 25-year-olds in the army was twice that of the same age group in the general population at that time, the hearing was told. | He also said that the army had not adequately assessed the risk of self-harm posed to young recruits with loaded weapons. The risk among 18- to 25-year-olds in the army was twice that of the same age group in the general population at that time, the hearing was told. |
| The inquest continues. | The inquest continues. |