This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/25/deepcut-army-apologises-to-family-benton-inquest
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Army apologises to family of young soldier who died at Deepcut | Army apologises to family of young soldier who died at Deepcut |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Inquest hears welfare at barracks ‘should have been better’ at time of Pte Sean Benton’s death | Inquest hears welfare at barracks ‘should have been better’ at time of Pte Sean Benton’s death |
| Press Association | Press Association |
| Thu 25 Jan 2018 17.25 GMT | |
| First published on Thu 25 Jan 2018 13.10 GMT | |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| View more sharing options | View more sharing options |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Close | Close |
| The army has apologised to the family of a young soldier who died at Deepcut barracks. | The army has apologised to the family of a young soldier who died at Deepcut barracks. |
| Brig Chris Coles told an inquest there were “quite a number of things that could and should have been better” at the time of Pte Sean Benton’s death in June 1995. | Brig Chris Coles told an inquest there were “quite a number of things that could and should have been better” at the time of Pte Sean Benton’s death in June 1995. |
| Benton, 20, was found with five bullets in his chest shortly after he had been told he was to be discharged from the army. He was the first of four young soldiers to die from gunshot wounds at the Surrey barracks between 1995 and 2002. | Benton, 20, was found with five bullets in his chest shortly after he had been told he was to be discharged from the army. He was the first of four young soldiers to die from gunshot wounds at the Surrey barracks between 1995 and 2002. |
| Giving evidence during an inquest at Woking coroner’s court, Coles, the head of the Army Personnel Services Group, was taken through a statement he made last November. | Giving evidence during an inquest at Woking coroner’s court, Coles, the head of the Army Personnel Services Group, was taken through a statement he made last November. |
| Beforehand, he addressed 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.” | Beforehand, he addressed 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.” |
| 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.” | 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.” |
| He added: “Linked to that, it came much too late in the day, the policy for arming individual sentries, particularly trainees at Deepcut. It came very late that that system was changed.” | He added: “Linked to that, it came much too late in the day, the policy for arming individual sentries, particularly trainees at Deepcut. It came very late that that system was changed.” |
| He apologised and said: “It is something that I wish was not the case.” | He apologised and said: “It is something that I wish was not the case.” |
| He told the inquest that at the time Benton was at Deepcut “there was relatively too little supervision”. | He told the inquest that at the time Benton was at Deepcut “there was relatively too little supervision”. |
| The inquest heard there was no formal overall welfare policy at Deepcut in 1995. Coles said there was not a formally constituted welfare committee, adding: “I think not having something formally constituted increases the risk.” | The inquest heard there was no formal overall welfare policy at Deepcut in 1995. Coles said there was not a formally constituted welfare committee, adding: “I think not having something formally constituted increases the risk.” |
| In his statement, Coles said the Ministry of Defence accepted that the issue of access to weapons should have been clarified in policy. | In his statement, Coles said the Ministry of Defence accepted that the issue of access to weapons should have been clarified in policy. |
| The inquest also heard that junior officers would have issued punishments “informally”. Coles said: “At times the frequency and severity of the punishments given strayed beyond what was appropriate.” | The inquest also heard that junior officers would have issued punishments “informally”. Coles said: “At times the frequency and severity of the punishments given strayed beyond what was appropriate.” |
| On Wednesday the inquest heard that Benton told his sister he had been “shackled” and “humiliated” at the base. | On Wednesday the inquest heard that Benton told his sister he had been “shackled” and “humiliated” at the base. |
| An army spokesman has already apologised for the “shortcomings” at Deepcut in 1995. “We took too long to recognise and rectify the situation,” the spokesman said. | An army spokesman has already apologised for the “shortcomings” at Deepcut in 1995. “We took too long to recognise and rectify the situation,” the spokesman said. |
| Deepcut | Deepcut |
| British army | British army |
| Military | Military |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |