0:00:09 > 0:00:12How would you describe Deepcut as a camp?
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Dreadful.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Discipline was just slowly deteriorating.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27What we were expecting was to be treated like proper soldiers,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29but we were treat like shit...
0:00:29 > 0:00:31from day one.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37In the 1990s, thousands of young people came to Deepcut
0:00:37 > 0:00:39to learn to be soldiers.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Four of them would die here in mysterious circumstances.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51Today, a coroner said one, Cheryl James, had taken her own life.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55We know her means of death, obviously,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59but those last few minutes leading up to it,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03I think, you know, for the rest of our lives,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06there will always be a question mark about that.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09After 20 years,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13recruits are speaking out about a culture of bullying and abuse.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17I felt the one hit...
0:01:17 > 0:01:18AGONISED YELL
0:01:18 > 0:01:20..and broke my fingers.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25And that's the last I remember, really, of that.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32He came up to me and whispered in my ear,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34"I'm going to kill you if you say anything."
0:01:36 > 0:01:38I thought, "I'm going to die. I'm going to die."
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Because that's what he said he was going to do.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44For the first time,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47some of them break their silence about sexual abuse.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- TEARFULLY:- And somebody forced themselves onto me.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54I was trying to tell him to stop, but I couldn't
0:01:54 > 0:01:56because I was just held down.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I used to watch an advert called "Frank".
0:02:21 > 0:02:25It was a mind-blowing video - the dramatics, the sound effects.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I wanted to give something to the country, I wanted to be
0:02:32 > 0:02:35proud of the country, I wanted people to be proud of me as well.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41I want to be that guy on the telly.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43I want to be that guy on the video.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48- VOICE-OVER:- If you want a job with a bit more adventure and excitement, to be Frank, join the army.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56In 1995, the new recruits were told to report to
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Pirbright training centre in Surrey...
0:02:59 > 0:03:03..next-door to the sprawling Deepcut army base.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Here, the mainly teenage recruits would spend their first ten weeks.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14They'd learn the basics of army life.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22I was...scared,
0:03:22 > 0:03:23but excited.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27I think, for me, it was quite shocking.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Just it's the first time away from home for any length of time.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35I remember standing there with my bag, thinking,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37"Have I got enough socks and underpants?
0:03:37 > 0:03:40"And who's going to do my washing?"
0:03:40 > 0:03:43It was just like, "Wow, I'm here!
0:03:43 > 0:03:47"It's just amazing! I'm going to start making friends."
0:03:47 > 0:03:50And that was the start of the whole journey
0:03:50 > 0:03:53of me being in the British Army.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05And then, I remember they would say, "The fun starts tomorrow.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08"Get a good night's sleep, get yourself unpacked."
0:04:08 > 0:04:11And it was almost a false sense of security because they were
0:04:11 > 0:04:16so overwhelmingly nice that you thought, "This isn't too bad."
0:04:18 > 0:04:22MILITARY HORN PLAYS
0:04:23 > 0:04:28- Who can remember what time you were told?- Seven o'clock, Sergeant.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31You are already late for day one.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- YELLS:- Do you understand?! - ALL:- Yes, Sergeant!
0:04:36 > 0:04:40This 1990s footage shows basic training
0:04:40 > 0:04:43at another army base, Winchester.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46SERGEANTS YELLING
0:04:46 > 0:04:50The British Army has always instilled strict discipline
0:04:50 > 0:04:51into its recruits.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53- Go!- Get a move on!
0:04:53 > 0:04:56What was the regime like?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Um, very strict.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Very, very strict. You did what you were told.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02If you start fucking fumbling about,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06he will stand there all day and keep asking you more and more questions.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09You had to make sure that your locker was clean and tidy,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12your bed was made properly with your hospital corners...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Unlock your lockers.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17If everything wasn't up to scratch, then you'd get things flung
0:05:17 > 0:05:23out of your locker, your bed unmade and sheets chucked on the floor.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27If somebody had let the team down then there would be hell to pay.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29The usual kind of thing, really,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31that you'd expect from joining the army.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- Get a move on!- All right, what's this fucking orange stuff inside here?
0:05:34 > 0:05:36What is it?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Rust! What's rust doing on it?
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Corporals and sergeants were the instructors who led the training.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Rust! It's more rust!
0:05:45 > 0:05:48So out of ten weapons, I've now got six that work!
0:05:48 > 0:05:50The instructors at Pirbright,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53they're the ones that'll turn you from a civilian to a soldier.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- Move!- Clear out, get down!
0:06:02 > 0:06:03They're pushing you to your limits,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06they're screaming at you, they're shouting at you.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Basically, they're just making your life hell while you're there.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Prepare to move! Go!
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Instructors at Pirbright were fantastic.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16They were very hard, but fair.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Get changed, now! Let's go!
0:06:20 > 0:06:23I can remember every day perfect.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And now, looking back, it was good fun.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27It was hard at the time, but good fun.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31However, that wasn't everyone's experience.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35GUNFIRE
0:06:39 > 0:06:40We had to make a shell scrape,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43which is basically a shallow trench...
0:06:45 > 0:06:49..and ours wasn't done deep enough.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52It was...lopsided, basically.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58The corporals stood around and basically shouted at us,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00said it wasn't good enough and turned around and said,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03"Shaw, lay in there!" So I laid in there.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Next thing I know, they all jumped in on top of me...like a bundle.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15One of the instructors landed feet first on to Danny Shaw's back,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17causing a hairline fracture.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22It was really, really, really, really painful.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26You know, it was like someone had grabbed hold of my spine
0:07:26 > 0:07:27and pulled it out - that's how it felt.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29I was upset.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I was trying not to cry, basically. You know?
0:07:32 > 0:07:35You're in that environment now, you're a soldier.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37You don't cry, you don't cry.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I was the only black female within the troop.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51In fact, I was the only black female in the whole squadron.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Go, go, go, go! Go! Come on!
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Dawn says she was targeted from the outset.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01GUNFIRE
0:08:01 > 0:08:03I'd gone to collect my shells from the bullets.
0:08:03 > 0:08:09I was told by a lieutenant who had eaten a banana to take
0:08:09 > 0:08:12the banana peel and to place it in my pouch, "You monkey."
0:08:14 > 0:08:18I then took the banana peel and placed it in my pouch.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21I was quite weary.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Um...
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Confused.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Um...
0:08:34 > 0:08:36But I didn't want to give up. I didn't.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47It didn't stop from there, really, from Pirbright.
0:08:47 > 0:08:53It carried on from Pirbright to Deepcut, to my unit,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57which was the worst time of my...
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Gosh...
0:09:03 > 0:09:04Yeah.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Um, it didn't stop then.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17The word that they used to use was "nigger" -
0:09:17 > 0:09:19that was the word.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24And it was a word that they all used - "Nigger, nigger" -
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and I just didn't understand why that would be a word
0:09:27 > 0:09:29that the British Army would use.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40They'd made it through their ten weeks basic training.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42The recruits were now soldiers.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50From Pirbright it was a short move to
0:09:50 > 0:09:52the next-door barracks known as Deepcut.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Here, as members of the Royal Logistic Corps,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00they'd undertake specialist training.
0:10:02 > 0:10:08It got built up to be a place which was full of opportunity
0:10:08 > 0:10:12and...a proud place to be.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17But once we got there, it was a very different story.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20A place where fear was instilled from the very moment
0:10:20 > 0:10:22you walked through the gate.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31What we were expecting was to be treated like proper soldiers,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34to be given the respect that we thought we'd earned
0:10:34 > 0:10:35during that ten weeks...
0:10:37 > 0:10:40..but we weren't. It was the total opposite.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44It was ten times worse than the basic training.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48We were basically treat like shit...
0:10:48 > 0:10:50from day one.
0:10:56 > 0:11:02They did single out a few women, and a few boys as well,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04that they didn't like.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15There was one quite big incident, where a girl was pulled out
0:11:15 > 0:11:18of the parade because she had some hairs on her upper lip
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and under her jawline.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26They humiliated her in front of everybody
0:11:26 > 0:11:28and made her stand there and have a shave.
0:11:36 > 0:11:42Julia Bolton was one of the few female non-commissioned officers, or NCOs.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44She'd been to Deepcut eight years earlier
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and was shocked at what she now found there.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- How would you describe Deepcut as a camp?- Um...
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Dreadful.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59It wasn't a happy place.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Discipline was just slowly...
0:12:04 > 0:12:06..deteriorating, I would say.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Not just between the NCOs, but with the recruits as well.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15- Was it out of control? - I would say so, yes.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22There was a lot of bullying by instructors, that was obvious.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Some of the instructors were thugs,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34in particular, Sergeant Gavigan.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Sergeant Gavigan? He was a brute.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42He had a split personality.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48You heard him before you saw Sergeant Gavigan.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52If you saw him coming, you walked the other way.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59Some trainees described Sergeant Andrew Gavigan as a role model.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02His superiors also praised him for his compassion
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and concern for young soldiers.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11But those who got on the wrong side of him tell a different story.
0:13:12 > 0:13:20There was an incident where Sergeant Gavigan and a female Lance Corporal...
0:13:20 > 0:13:26And because I was friends with the female corporal,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Sergeant Gavigan didn't like that.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Dawn had offered to give evidence to support a complaint
0:13:34 > 0:13:37the Lance Corporal was making against Sergeant Gavigan.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43And because I stuck up for the Lance Corporal, because we were friends,
0:13:43 > 0:13:48he came up to me and whispered in my ear,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51"I'm going to kill you...
0:13:51 > 0:13:53"if you say anything."
0:13:56 > 0:13:58At that particular point...
0:14:00 > 0:14:04..I became frightened, scared.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09I thought, "I'm going to die. I'm going to die."
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Because that's what he said that he was going to do.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Andrew Gavigan says he has no recollection of Dawn Benjamin
0:14:16 > 0:14:18or this incident.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25When he was trying to impose discipline,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Sergeant Gavigan would sometimes tell trainees
0:14:28 > 0:14:32they were about to get a visit from his twin brother.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Who I actually thought was another person
0:14:35 > 0:14:38because he changed in a split second.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41He would go into the building, come back out
0:14:41 > 0:14:48seconds later, absolutely red-faced, shouting, screaming, spitting.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50He scared the shite out of me.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56YELLING
0:14:59 > 0:15:04When we were on a basic fitness test doing the mile run, he was in front
0:15:04 > 0:15:07with one of the female recruits and he was really encouraging her.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11I thought, "That's really good." You know, good example.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14And he kept encouraging and encouraging her,
0:15:14 > 0:15:19and then suddenly he just stopped and snapped, and the picture I have
0:15:19 > 0:15:24in my mind is he didn't physically touch her, but he just
0:15:24 > 0:15:29went for her verbally and it looked as though he went purple with rage.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33And then he just stopped, and ran off and left her.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39When I went back to the squadron, I just mentioned this
0:15:39 > 0:15:42in the troop office and they just laughed and said,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44"Oh, now you've met his twin brother!"
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I didn't want to see it again and I didn't want it to happen to me.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Sergeant Gavigan wasn't the only individual feared by some trainees.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02There was a wider culture of brutality at the base.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12This is Sean Benton, filmed passing out from basic training.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Nine months later, he was found dead.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21I went through training with Sean, me and Sean passed out together.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Sean Benton was from the seaside town of Hastings in East Sussex.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Determined to avoid a dead-end job, he joined the army at 19,
0:16:33 > 0:16:34hoping to be a driver.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41We were both in and out of trouble
0:16:41 > 0:16:43and we just seemed to be drawn together.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46There was always a little bit of a swagger.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54He'd always have this... I can still see him now
0:16:54 > 0:16:57with a smirk on his face, as he had to get the last word in,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59even if it had got him into trouble.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08More than once, Sean was punished for indiscipline...
0:17:12 > 0:17:14..and he seemed to become a target.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19I remember him telling me
0:17:19 > 0:17:22that people had come into his room wearing respirators...
0:17:24 > 0:17:27With a respirator, you can't see who's wearing it.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30..and attacked him, basically, not bullied him.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Attacked him.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Beat him.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39How can you report something like that?
0:17:39 > 0:17:42For all you know, the person you report it to could have been
0:17:42 > 0:17:45one of the persons in the room wearing the mask.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46It's...
0:17:48 > 0:17:51..scary to think that that could be the case.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Sean told his friends about other violent incidents,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01including being forced through a first-floor window.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04It really got to Sean.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09He changed in the short time over at Deepcut
0:18:09 > 0:18:12to what he was at Pirbright.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15He'd still try and have the last word, but...
0:18:15 > 0:18:18He wasn't as bubbly as what he was.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26Sorry.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Sean Benton wasn't the only recruit to say he suffered physical abuse.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Dan Griffiths said he was the victim of an attack by an instructor.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56He just came straight towards me.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00He then... He didn't push me over with his hands,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02he just pushed me over with his body.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08You could see that he was angry and we didn't know why.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10He then stormed back out.
0:19:12 > 0:19:1630 seconds or so later, he came back in with a broom handle.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18AGONISED YELL
0:19:18 > 0:19:22I felt the one hit and broke my fingers.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And then he swung against my head,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and that's the last I remember really of that.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34Dan Griffiths lost consciousness, but he says the attack continued.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39I then learned that he'd gone into the broom cupboard,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and got the other half of the broom handle and come back in,
0:19:42 > 0:19:47and then carried on whilst I was unconscious. He just beat me.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57I remember walking to the medical centre in a lot, a lot of pain.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59It hurt.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05I remember not having the confidence to say what had actually gone on,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07so I just said that I fell down the stairs.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17After six months,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21recruits were committed to at least four years of army life.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25They couldn't leave Deepcut without permission and many say
0:20:25 > 0:20:29there was no-one in authority they could go to with their problems.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Under intense pressure, some contemplated suicide.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43I was getting bullied. It was getting too much for me.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50I ended up having a knife, I would take myself to the toilet...
0:20:54 > 0:20:57In my mind, I wanted to just end it all.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01I just broke down crying.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05And I think the person that actually talked me out of it
0:21:05 > 0:21:07actually heard me crying.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Because he said, "Who's that in there? Are you all right?
0:21:13 > 0:21:15"What's going on?"
0:21:17 > 0:21:21All I remember is trying to distract him...
0:21:23 > 0:21:27..trying to just get through to him on some level,
0:21:27 > 0:21:31just to take his mind away from the place that he was in at the time.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36He was saying, "It's not worth it, think of your family.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38"Think of your friends."
0:21:38 > 0:21:40And...
0:21:41 > 0:21:44I think that's what made me realise, you know,
0:21:44 > 0:21:45maybe it's not worth doing it.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Were you surprised to find somebody in that state?
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Surprised?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Looking back, I'd probably say no
0:22:06 > 0:22:09because of the pressure that we were put under.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19By June 1995, Sean Benton was on the verge of being
0:22:19 > 0:22:21kicked out of the army.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28He felt a failure and was desperate
0:22:28 > 0:22:31to see the military chaplain, the padre.
0:22:34 > 0:22:40When Sean asked to go and see the padre, he was refused to leave camp,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43because the Garrison Church is just off camp.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45So if you want to leave Deepcut camp,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47you had to go and ask permission.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50And when he did that, he was told, "No, he's not allowed."
0:22:53 > 0:22:56He wasn't who I had finished training with,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58he wasn't the same person.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59He was down.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07In the early morning of June the 9th, 1995,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Sean Benton was found dead, with five gunshot wounds to his body.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18I wasn't allowed to go to the funeral.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22As a friend, it was horrible.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29A short inquest and an army inquiry concluded Sean had killed himself.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32There was no investigation as to why he might have done this.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40We weren't allowed to speak to anybody about it.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45We weren't even allowed to discuss it in phone calls home.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50It was as if they were trying to control everything from the inside.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07In the spring of 1995,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09a new batch of recruits had begun their training,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12many with the same high hopes of an army life.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Amongst them was Cheryl James.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Even when she was getting told off, she always smiled.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Most of the time it broke up that episode, whatever was happening.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38It brought out the light and people stopped, and it was nice.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41And that's how I remember Cheryl now, just always laughing,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43always happy.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Keep going!
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Jog right down to the end.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51I met Cheryl James at Pirbright.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53She's got that very infectious smile,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56which is evident straight away.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00She was just a very, very bubbly girl, right from the word go.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05She was proud and I was proud of her,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07and she looked very, very smart.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09There wasn't a hair out of place.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11It was as if to say, "Look at me, mum."
0:25:16 > 0:25:19She could have been the poster girl for the army.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24They were all sent off to their different camps and things,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28and I can remember thinking they were just youngsters, children, really.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And what sort of a soldier was Cheryl?
0:25:35 > 0:25:39She was great. She was kind of the glue of our troop, really.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43- SOLDIERS:- Lift up, 2-3-4-5, down, swing!
0:25:43 > 0:25:48We spent all our time together and we had some really honest chats...
0:25:50 > 0:25:54..and we just really bonded.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07On the 27th of November, 1995,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10just over a month after her 18th birthday,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Cheryl was on routine duties at the base.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Monday morning, we were both on guard duty.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22I was on the front gate, she was on the rear gate,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26so we had to report to the guardroom at 6.30.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28She was her usual bubbly self.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31We were actually stood outside the guardroom chatting
0:26:31 > 0:26:32for a while, just laughing,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35until one of the sergeants tapped on the glass
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and said, "Oi, get a move on."
0:26:42 > 0:26:46I was there as soon as the gate that Cheryl was guarding was open.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50I spoke to her for a few minutes.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51She seemed quite happy.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54And then she said to me that she was going
0:26:54 > 0:26:57to see her boyfriend the following weekend...
0:26:59 > 0:27:01..and then was about it and I left.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10I got to about the top of the hill, away from the gate.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14GUNSHOT
0:27:16 > 0:27:18I heard one single gunshot.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24It was close by. It was unusual to hear just one shot.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32A few minutes later, the gate was reported unattended
0:27:32 > 0:27:35and a Lance Corporal went to investigate.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40He saw a camouflage jacket on the ground by some trees.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43It was Cheryl's body.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48She'd died from a single bullet wound to her head.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08The doorbell rang and there was a police officer
0:28:08 > 0:28:13and an army officer, both in uniform, standing at the front door.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24It's a horrible, horrible feeling.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29You're not even part of the universe.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31It's just... Everything's swirling around
0:28:31 > 0:28:35and you can't... It's intangible.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38You can't... Nothing is real.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43So many questions and nobody there to answer them.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44The policeman went.
0:28:44 > 0:28:50- This was a temporary... What sort of army officer was he?- A local.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Yes, he was just in the sort of...
0:28:52 > 0:28:55He'd just been asked to come to the house.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58- There was nobody from the camp... - Nobody from the camp or anybody that...
0:28:58 > 0:29:02..either visited or telephoned.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06- There was no contact from the camp. - Nothing at all.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09It was all done by the guy who knew nothing,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11other than she'd taken her own life.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18The army decided that Cheryl had killed herself...
0:29:20 > 0:29:23..but an inquest recorded an open verdict,
0:29:23 > 0:29:27which raised questions over whether it was a suicide.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32My question all these years has been,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35if they investigated it as a suicide, doesn't that beg
0:29:35 > 0:29:41the question that the evidence must have been overflowing?
0:29:41 > 0:29:42Clearly.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44But...there wasn't any.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48And all of those things became questions that just burned
0:29:48 > 0:29:50away then, for years and years.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04Cheryl James and Sean Benton's deaths seemed destined
0:30:04 > 0:30:06never to be properly investigated.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16But seven years on, that changed.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31Two more young soldiers, Geoff Gray and James Collinson,
0:30:31 > 0:30:33had apparently killed themselves at Deepcut.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38The BBC programme Frontline Scotland
0:30:38 > 0:30:41linked the deaths for the first time.
0:30:46 > 0:30:51'Tonight, we investigate disturbing claims about the climate
0:30:51 > 0:30:53'of fear and intimidation at Deepcut.'
0:31:05 > 0:31:09It aired the families' questions about why their children had died.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17I hold the army totally responsible for Geoff's death.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20The army owed Geoff a duty of care
0:31:20 > 0:31:23and they failed in that duty of care.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28We looked after him 17 years...safely.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32The army had him for seven months...
0:31:35 > 0:31:36..and he was dead.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44The four families were brought together for the first time.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49There's Sean Benton -
0:31:49 > 0:31:51he was found shot...
0:31:52 > 0:31:54..with five bullets to the chest.
0:31:54 > 0:32:00My daughter Cheryl died at the same camp in November 1995.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04When we first got together,
0:32:04 > 0:32:10we clearly had this common bond that all the families had experienced.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13And of course...
0:32:13 > 0:32:17the context had now become not two deaths 19 weeks apart,
0:32:17 > 0:32:22but four deaths and some of them almost seven years apart.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30The families believed the army and the police
0:32:30 > 0:32:33had failed to investigate the deaths properly.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42The parents were questioning whether they really were suicides.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47For the army to turn around and say suicide and expect us
0:32:47 > 0:32:50to accept it, they're not on.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52I mean, we'll go to the ends of the earth to find out
0:32:52 > 0:32:53what happened to these kids.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01Now under pressure from the families and the media,
0:33:01 > 0:33:05Surrey Police began looking at all the Deepcut deaths.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11We have absolutely no intention of rushing the investigation.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14We'll be as thorough as we possibly can
0:33:14 > 0:33:18and it will conclude as and when we feel that we've satisfactorily
0:33:18 > 0:33:21gathered as much evidence as is available to us.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Cheryl's family still believe there was a possibility that she
0:33:28 > 0:33:30hadn't killed herself,
0:33:30 > 0:33:34but they felt the new police inquiry wasn't open to that.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38Officers were asking witnesses in the early days of their
0:33:38 > 0:33:41investigation, "Why do you think Cheryl James took her own life?"
0:33:41 > 0:33:44That was the first question.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48And no-one will ever convince me that investigation
0:33:48 > 0:33:49was open-minded, ever.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55One of the senior officers involved
0:33:55 > 0:33:58in the reopened investigations agrees.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01I was staggered, I was appalled,
0:34:01 > 0:34:07because, to paraphrase it, the tenor of the report, to me,
0:34:07 > 0:34:09was, "We know these were suicides,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12"will you just get on and prove it, please?"
0:34:16 > 0:34:19Surrey Police strongly deny they had a closed mind-set.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25After an 18-month investigation, they said there was no
0:34:25 > 0:34:28evidence of anyone else being involved in the deaths.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36Then details of statements were leaked.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45The Deepcut culture became part of a review by a senior lawyer.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54A report into the deaths of four young soldiers has highlighted abuse
0:34:54 > 0:34:58and institutional failures at the Deepcut army barracks.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04Nicholas Blake QC recommended independent scrutiny of army life.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09An armed forces ombudsman should be appointed...
0:35:10 > 0:35:14..independent, that is to say, of the military units.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19The report also criticised a culture of bullying at Deepcut,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23but stopped short of saying it had played a part in any of the deaths.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29It fuelled the families' demands for a public inquiry.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36There's never been a meaningful inquiry into all of those allegations.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40There's never been a meaningful inquiry regarding
0:35:40 > 0:35:42the culture of the camp.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44How did it happen?
0:35:44 > 0:35:46When did it happen? How long did it last?
0:35:46 > 0:35:49None of that's been answered.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54Clearly, nobody has been made accountable for the culture
0:35:54 > 0:35:59that pervaded that camp and was allowed to pervade the camp.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01There's not been one person.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14For Cheryl James's family,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17all that was left was to campaign for a fresh inquest.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21In February this year, that finally began.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24What the family wanted was a public examination of all
0:36:24 > 0:36:28the evidence and a verdict that they could have confidence in.
0:36:29 > 0:36:35We felt that the only thing we could do was gather all the evidence
0:36:35 > 0:36:38that was out there and it is some consolation,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41that at the end of the process, you can say to yourself,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44"Well, you know, we've done everything we possibly could."
0:36:49 > 0:36:53The inquest focused on Cheryl's state of mind before her death.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56The court heard she'd been trying to choose between
0:36:56 > 0:37:00two soldier boyfriends and that other trainees had been critical
0:37:00 > 0:37:02over the way she was treating the two men.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10It also looked at whether bullying was a factor in her death.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Dan Griffiths gave evidence about something he says
0:37:18 > 0:37:21he witnessed some time before Cheryl died.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27I saw Cheryl one night, as I came from the NAAFI.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31ANGRY SHOUTING
0:37:35 > 0:37:39I heard a lot of shouting and I thought, "That's a bit strange."
0:37:39 > 0:37:40This is at night-time.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42It was very close, but very loud.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49And so I popped my head round to see what was going on.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51Straightaway, I knew I shouldn't have been there.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54It was... Sergeant Gavigan was shouting at Cheryl.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57She looked very scared. She had her back up against the wall.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04He was only a couple of feet from her,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08he was shouting at her very loud. She was very upset, she was crying.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15I decided to wait there for Cheryl.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23And when she came back round the corner,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25I just mentioned, "What was all that about?"
0:38:25 > 0:38:28Straightaway, she said to me, "You're better off not knowing."
0:38:41 > 0:38:43At the inquest, Sergeant Gavigan
0:38:43 > 0:38:47was asked about his relationship with Cheryl James.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50He denied knowing her, or that he'd reduced her to tears.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56He was also questioned about his behaviour more generally.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Were you aware that many of the recruits were petrified of you?
0:39:00 > 0:39:02No.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04There was two sides of me.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07There was my natural side - my caring, my supportive side -
0:39:07 > 0:39:11and that's how I'd always, throughout my army career,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13managed and led people.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Sergeant Gavigan denies that he abused or mistreated trainees.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21He says he only needed to shout at them sometimes
0:39:21 > 0:39:25because there was only one of him and up to 300 of them.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29So, at times, I would have to be verbal
0:39:29 > 0:39:32and I would have to conduct myself in a way that was
0:39:32 > 0:39:35different from how I would like to have conducted myself.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39The allegations against Sergeant Gavigan only relate to bullying.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Cheryl's family also wanted the inquest to investigate
0:39:45 > 0:39:47whether there was sexual abuse.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Jane Warboys gave evidence about something that happened
0:39:53 > 0:39:56to Cheryl while she was on a driving course.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01I could see straightaway that there was something wrong with her.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04She was visibly shaken and upset even then.
0:40:04 > 0:40:10It was just this one sergeant who locked her in the office
0:40:10 > 0:40:13and I think he wanted to have sex with her,
0:40:13 > 0:40:15and she was describing a situation
0:40:15 > 0:40:18where she was running around the desk to get away from him.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25The inquest heard from over 100 witnesses.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Crucially for the James family,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33other soldiers' evidence their lawyer wanted to introduce,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37including allegations of rape, was excluded.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40The coroner said it wasn't a public inquiry.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43We made submissions to the coroner
0:40:43 > 0:40:46because there were some concerns that there were patterns
0:40:46 > 0:40:48of behaviour, or other incidents described,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51which could be relevant to issues affecting Cheryl
0:40:51 > 0:40:54and, unfortunately, the coroner decided that that was not
0:40:54 > 0:40:58going to be a suitable subject for his investigation.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06But now soldiers have come forward to speak
0:41:06 > 0:41:09publicly for the first time about what they suffered.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Alison was 17 when she joined up.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21She's asked us to conceal her identity.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25She says that, during basic training,
0:41:25 > 0:41:27non-commissioned officers, NCOs,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30bragged to her about sleeping with trainees.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36The NCOs that were there at the time, I mean,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39they were quite predatory in their pursuit of young recruits.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44I was told, at my passing out parade,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46two of the NSC told me
0:41:46 > 0:41:51that I'd be having sex with them in my formal dresswear...on that day.
0:41:53 > 0:41:54It was...
0:41:56 > 0:41:59..apparently more special because I was a virgin
0:41:59 > 0:42:02and it was a bit of a challenge.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12For some instructors, it was more than just talk.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16They were prepared to force themselves on unwilling victims.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Alison was escorted to a superior's office,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23where she says she was, in effect, blackmailed.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28They knew that I'd started a relationship with
0:42:28 > 0:42:30a girl in my troop.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36I was just taken down to his room.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38He explained as well the fact that
0:42:38 > 0:42:41if I didn't go through with what was going to happen in the room
0:42:41 > 0:42:44then the girl that I'd started the relationship with,
0:42:44 > 0:42:46she wouldn't pass out and neither would I.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Can you just explain what he did do?
0:42:54 > 0:42:56He...
0:42:56 > 0:42:57fingered me.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02- He put his fingers inside you? - Mm-hm.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06And then he told me he'd been waiting for that for a long time.
0:43:08 > 0:43:13- Did you...ever think, "I've got to tell somebody about this"?- No.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16No, I did not.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18And why was that?
0:43:18 > 0:43:19Because who would listen?
0:43:26 > 0:43:28This wasn't an isolated incident.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Gillian was another teenage recruit.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39We've disguised her appearance.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43I was just... Just turned 17 the November before...
0:43:45 > 0:43:49..and I was quite shy and quite sexually inexperienced.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05The day of the passing out parade was exciting.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08I was really proud that I'd finished my training.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13My sisters and my parents were going to be there to watch me.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15Everybody was excited.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21A corporal who was one of my instructors asked me
0:44:21 > 0:44:24to go back to the female accommodation,
0:44:24 > 0:44:27so I went back and walked into the female room.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31And he wasn't there.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35And he called me from the shower room...
0:44:37 > 0:44:38..and so I went into the shower room.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47And he pushed me up against the wall...
0:44:49 > 0:44:51..and he started kissing me.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55And then he put his hand up my skirt,
0:44:55 > 0:44:58and into my tights and into my knickers,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00and he put his fingers inside me.
0:45:02 > 0:45:03And with his other hand,
0:45:03 > 0:45:05started fondling my breasts through my shirt.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11- Did you attempt to fight him off? - No.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16One thing I'd learnt from training was that you don't talk back
0:45:16 > 0:45:18to your NCOs...
0:45:19 > 0:45:20..and you don't fight back.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29The next thing I can remember is going back to see my parents...
0:45:30 > 0:45:32..and everyone asking me where I'd been...
0:45:34 > 0:45:36..and I told them I'd just been to collect my bags.
0:45:39 > 0:45:40Halt!
0:45:50 > 0:45:54The inquest didn't examine evidence of sexual assaults on young soldiers.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01However, it did look at problems in the Deepcut chain of command -
0:46:01 > 0:46:05this included sexual misconduct by a senior figure at the base.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10This is Stephen Buchanan.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14In 1995, he held one of the most important posts at Deepcut -
0:46:14 > 0:46:16he was the Regimental Sergeant Major.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21There was talk about...
0:46:24 > 0:46:28..girls going up to Sergeant Major Buchanan's
0:46:28 > 0:46:30room in the Sergeants' mess
0:46:30 > 0:46:35and inappropriate behaviour at various dos.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39There was definite feeling that he was over-stepping the mark
0:46:39 > 0:46:41with his authority.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47In the summer of 1995,
0:46:47 > 0:46:52Sergeant Major Buchanan had drunken sex with a female private.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55He would later claim he didn't know she was a soldier.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Rumours began to circulate and, by the Autumn, he'd lost
0:46:58 > 0:47:03his commanders' confidence and was transferred to Catterick Garrison.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11It's now emerged there were also question marks over
0:47:11 > 0:47:14the calibre of some of Deepcut's other non-commissioned officers.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21A lot of them were actually put there
0:47:21 > 0:47:22because no-one else wanted them.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25It sort of had a bit of a reputation of being a dumping ground to
0:47:25 > 0:47:27get rid of unwanted NCOs.
0:47:32 > 0:47:37In 1996, a new senior instructor, Leslie Skinner, arrived at Deepcut.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42We were introduced to him as "Staff Skinner."
0:47:42 > 0:47:44We were to address him as Staff Skinner.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48He seemed a plausible guy, nice guy, full of stories,
0:47:48 > 0:47:50and we thought he was just one of the lads.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55In fact, Leslie Skinner wasn't a staff sergeant.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Two months earlier, he'd been court-marshalled for indecently
0:47:58 > 0:48:02exposing himself to a teenager while serving in Northern Ireland.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07He'd been demoted to the rank of private.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12He'd often turn up, sit and have a drink with us,
0:48:12 > 0:48:14which was fine, he'd have a laugh.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16We didn't think anything unusual of him.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24One evening just before Christmas,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26Mark Harrison was alone in his room.
0:48:31 > 0:48:32Skinner came in.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36I thought he was just coming in to have a chat and stuff.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40Then he just, out of the blue, out of nowhere, he just pounced on me.
0:48:40 > 0:48:44He grabbed me by the back of my neck and
0:48:44 > 0:48:47...was trying to kiss me, basically.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52I tried to pull away, but he just held me harder
0:48:52 > 0:48:57and...you know, quite, it was hurting quite a bit.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Erm...
0:48:59 > 0:49:03And I was shaking at this point. I didn't know what to do.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07You know, there's this guy in my room doing this.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09You know, what was I to do?
0:49:09 > 0:49:12You know, I didn't know whether to hit him and run or what.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15There was all sorts going through my mind.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19He told me to get dressed
0:49:19 > 0:49:25and that we were to go to his room at the other side of the camp...
0:49:28 > 0:49:31..which I felt might have been a bit of an escape route
0:49:31 > 0:49:34because I thought, well, hopefully, I might see somebody on the way.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45But that didn't happen, unfortunately,
0:49:45 > 0:49:47and...
0:49:48 > 0:49:51That's when we...we went up to his room.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00And...that's where he abused me.
0:50:03 > 0:50:04What did he do to you?
0:50:08 > 0:50:09Erm...
0:50:19 > 0:50:20Well, he...
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- It's hard saying this on camera, isn't it?- Did he rape you?
0:50:29 > 0:50:30Yeah. Yeah.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39What happened after that?
0:50:39 > 0:50:40He told me to get out.
0:50:45 > 0:50:46And...
0:50:48 > 0:50:50..I just grabbed all my stuff and ran.
0:50:51 > 0:50:52Erm...
0:50:53 > 0:50:57Basically, just got in the shower for a couple of hours.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03And I couldn't think of a way out...
0:51:05 > 0:51:06..so I decided to...
0:51:08 > 0:51:09..carry on - go and do my guard shift...
0:51:11 > 0:51:12..the next morning.
0:51:14 > 0:51:15And...
0:51:16 > 0:51:19..but that's when it happened again, the following night.
0:51:24 > 0:51:25I didn't tell anybody.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29I didn't trust anyone in authority.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34It were just easier to brush it under the carpet,
0:51:34 > 0:51:35for me, and carry on.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Subconsciously, you...you destroy yourself inside.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47And, ultimately, it led to me...
0:51:49 > 0:51:51..trying to take my own life.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53You know, it wasn't a cry for help, you know? I didn't...
0:51:53 > 0:51:55I didn't want to be here.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57I couldn't live with...
0:51:57 > 0:51:59with what he'd done to me.
0:51:59 > 0:52:00How do you feel now, 20 years on?
0:52:03 > 0:52:05I'm furious with the...with the Army.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09You know, he didn't start this at Deepcut.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13To be put into an environment with vulnerable...
0:52:15 > 0:52:18..kids, basically...
0:52:18 > 0:52:21to, to do what he wanted.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24The powers that be knew...
0:52:24 > 0:52:27and protected him, and that's what I'm very angry about.
0:52:32 > 0:52:37In 2004, Leslie Skinner was given four and a half years in prison
0:52:37 > 0:52:39for sexually assaulting young soldiers.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42A charge of rape was left to lie on file.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50The Army has accepted that, at Deepcut, there was
0:52:50 > 0:52:53a morally chaotic environment,
0:52:53 > 0:52:55with an abuse and misuse of power.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Today, at the Cheryl James inquest,
0:53:05 > 0:53:09the coroner ruled that it was Cheryl who inflicted the fatal shot
0:53:09 > 0:53:11and that she had intended to die.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15He was critical of the regime at Deepcut
0:53:15 > 0:53:18and the fact that Cheryl was placed on lone guard duty,
0:53:18 > 0:53:20which was a breach of Army regulations.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24He could find no evidence of any motive
0:53:24 > 0:53:27as to why she might have killed herself.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30He ruled out sexual abuse in her case,
0:53:30 > 0:53:34but he did focus on a "sexualised" atmosphere at Deepcut.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43We've found that, in this sexualised atmosphere,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46young soldiers were subjected to violent sexual assaults,
0:53:46 > 0:53:47including rape.
0:53:51 > 0:53:52Suzanne was another young woman
0:53:52 > 0:53:55entrusted to the care of the British Army.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01I switched the light off and I got into bed...
0:54:08 > 0:54:09..and I was, like, half asleep.
0:54:11 > 0:54:12Then the next thing...
0:54:12 > 0:54:14I was getting held
0:54:14 > 0:54:18and I felt something being put over me head...
0:54:18 > 0:54:22and I couldn't breathe, and I started getting punched at first,
0:54:22 > 0:54:24and I was getting held down.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27- SOBBING:- There was more than one. I can't say whether there was...
0:54:27 > 0:54:29I know there was definitely two.
0:54:32 > 0:54:33And then I was...
0:54:33 > 0:54:35forced on.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39And it just seemed to last for ages and I couldn't breathe.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43I tried to fight at first, get them off me, but I couldn't...
0:54:44 > 0:54:47..and it just seemed to last for ages...
0:54:50 > 0:54:52..and I didn't want them to.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54I was trying to tell them to stop, to stop,
0:54:54 > 0:54:56but I couldn't cos I was just held down.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14I didn't tell anyone -
0:55:14 > 0:55:16I was too frightened to.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19I was just scared cos I didn't know who it was,
0:55:19 > 0:55:21and you couldn't talk to anyone.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25I could've be going to tell somebody who'd been in that room.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28I still haven't been able to talk about it for the last 20 years.
0:55:46 > 0:55:51At Cheryl James' inquest, the Army finally apologised to her parents
0:55:51 > 0:55:55for failures at the camp that could have contributed to her death.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58Today, her family describe Deepcut
0:55:58 > 0:56:02as having a toxic and horrible environment for a young woman.
0:56:03 > 0:56:04I think there is still
0:56:04 > 0:56:08an enormous problem with sexualised culture within the Army
0:56:08 > 0:56:12and you don't just see that in these stories that come out of Deepcut.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14You still hear those stories today.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17This sexualised culture remains an entrenched
0:56:17 > 0:56:19and a very, very difficult problem for the Army.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24The Army says its culture is changing,
0:56:24 > 0:56:26but admits there's still some way to go.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32No Army spokesperson would appear in this programme.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35However, in a statement, the Army said one of its highest priorities
0:56:35 > 0:56:38was to treat all soldiers with respect.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42It also says it's addressed many issues relating to
0:56:42 > 0:56:44the welfare of recruits,
0:56:44 > 0:56:48and that all training sites are now inspected by Ofsted
0:56:48 > 0:56:50and are rated either good or excellent.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03In the space of seven years, four young people died at Deepcut...
0:57:08 > 0:57:10..but we cannot know the full extent of bullying
0:57:10 > 0:57:14and sexual assault at the base or other Army facilities.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25I just don't want it to happen to any other young people.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27You know, because I'm a mother myself now.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32I just feel like, if I don't tell everything that went on there,
0:57:32 > 0:57:36it's just going to go on and on and on, you know?
0:57:36 > 0:57:40And I've got to the age, now, where I just want a normal life, you know?
0:57:40 > 0:57:41I don't want to keep reliving it.
0:57:46 > 0:57:52Something has to be done, that a camp was allowed to descend into
0:57:52 > 0:57:54a culture where these things could occur -
0:57:54 > 0:57:58not just the deaths, but...
0:57:58 > 0:58:03a culture where so many of these very serious allegations
0:58:03 > 0:58:04have been brought to light.
0:58:07 > 0:58:12I'm sure there are lots of decent, good people in the Army,
0:58:12 > 0:58:16who would want to have this, you know, sorted because...
0:58:18 > 0:58:21..it's like a bad apple - it really can't be left.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27It's a sentiment echoed by the survivors.
0:58:30 > 0:58:33People should be held to account
0:58:33 > 0:58:36and if by me doing this...
0:58:37 > 0:58:40..which was a big step for me to take,
0:58:40 > 0:58:43and I haven't taken it lightly...
0:58:43 > 0:58:47this...I'm hoping that the powers that be...
0:58:49 > 0:58:52..decide that there needs to be a public enquiry
0:58:52 > 0:58:56into the establishment of Deepcut Army barracks...
0:58:57 > 0:59:01..because there was a lot more gone on there than people know about.