Cheryl James - new inquest granted

21/05/2015 @ 10:22

A Llanymynech couple have won their fight for a new inquest into the controversial death of their daughter at Deepcut Army Barracks.

The parents of Cheryl James, who died of a bullet wound, have been campaigning for a new inquest and were angry that Surrey Police may have suggested postponement so that new inquests could be held at the same time in one consolidated inquiry.

This move could have delayed the inquest for years but Coroner Brian Barker QC ruled that Private James’s inquest would be held on its own and would start on February 1st next year.

Des and Doreen James have also called for their daughter's body to be exhumed in their bid to establish the real cause of her death in November 1995. She was one of four soldiers to die at the barracks between 1995 and 2002.

Last year High Court judges ordered a fresh inquest into Cheryl’s death after they quashed an open verdict recorded in December 1995.

A pre-inquest review was held at Woking Coroner’s Court this week when Coroner Barker said he would wait for a doctor’s report before deciding whether the “difficult and unusual” step should be taken to exhume Cheryl James’s body.

Mr and Mrs James, have spent more than a decade campaigning for a new inquest for their daughter.

They say original inquest lasted just an hour – key witnesses were not called, medical records went uninspected and important evidence was ignored