Army recruit takes own life
- 00:00:47
- ITN
Army recruit takes own life
An army recruit has been found hanging at an army camp just a mile away from Deepcut Barracks, police said. The 29-year-old man died despite attempts by paramedics to resuscitate him just before 8am on Sunday morning. It is understood that he had arrived at the training centre just days ago. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "It is with deep sadness that the MoD confirms the death of a new recruit at Pirbright Training Centre in Surrey on 21 September 2008. "Next of kin have been informed and our thoughts and sympathies are with the deceased individual's family and friends at this difficult time." She added: "Surrey Police are conducting an investigation so it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage." The recruit was found at Alexander Barracks at the Pirbright Army camp in Surrey, close to Deepcut where four young recruits died as a result of bullet wounds in separate incidents between 1995 and 2002. A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: "The Ministry of Defence is fully co-operating with the inquiries being made by police." Recruits Sean Benton, 20, of Hastings, East Sussex; James Collinson, 17, of Perth; Geoff Gray, 17, of Seaham, Co Durham, and Cheryl James, 18, of Llangollen, Denbighshire, all died at the Deepcut training camp. An investigation into their deaths by Nicolas Blake QC found no evidence for families' claims that they had been "bullied to death". Alexander Barracks at Pirbright opened earlier this year and was designed to offer modern, comfortable accommodation for new recruits. As part of the army's efforts to improve conditions for new recruits the 12 man dormitory-style rooms are partitioned into four areas to provide a degree of privacy. A "duty of care" office and a member of training staff is located on each floor Specific policies to identify and prevent bullying and improve the mental health of the recruits have been in place for some time at the barracks.
ITN | September 21, 2008
