The parents of Private Cheryl James - who died from a gunshot wound at Deepcut Barracks - have accused the police of deliberately delaying an inquest into her death . The parents of a teenage Army recruit who died from a gunshot wound at Deepcut Barracks have accused the police of deliberately delaying an inquest into her death. Private Cheryl James, 18, was one of four young soldiers who died in unexplained shootings at the Surrey base between 1995 and 2002. After fighting for justice for 20 years, her parents won the right to hold a new inquest after Surrey Police were forced to hand over tens of thousands of pages of previously concealed evidence. They believe the new documents could provide the truth behind how their daughter died after years of speculation, including fears she was murdered or driven to commit suicide after being sexually assaulted. It is understood the evidence could quash Ministry of Defence claims that Pte James took her own life and could lead to a criminal trial. But now the police force – which has repeatedly come under fire for their botched investigation into the deaths – is trying to push back the case by years, the family claimed. The force argued in a hearing earlier this month that Pte James’s inquest should be heard alongside inquests into the deaths of the other three soldiers – a process which could take another three years. Des, 66, and Doreen James, 63, Cheryl’s parents, from Carreghofa on the Shropshire-Montgomeryshire border, said: ‘Three weeks ago we thought we were on the way to justice. ‘Then the police come back to court with a ludicrous suggestion which would create huge delays, not only for us but for all of the families. ‘You’ve got four kids who die on the same site and the police link them all together, even though two of them died almost seven years apart. ‘Surrey Police never intended there to be a thorough investigation and they are trying to halt the case again.’ Pte James, 18, was found dead in a copse of trees at the base after she had been on sentry duty in November 1995. Surrey Police handed the matter to the Army, which treated it as suicide. Private Sean Benton, 20, from Hastings, East Sussex, was also found dead with gunshot wounds at the barracks in June 1995. And in September 2001, 17-year-old Pte Geoff Gray, from Seaham, Co Durham, was found with two gunshot wounds to his head. Private James Collinson lost his life in suspicious circumstances at Deepcut in March 2002. (Clockwise from top left) Private James Collinson, Private James,  Private Geoff Gray and Private Sean Benton all died at Deepcut Barracks . The soldiers’ families have refused to accept that all four committed suicide, accusing the Army of covering up bullying and abuse. Retired company direction, Mr James, said he believed the new evidence, which he has seen, could lead to a criminal investigation, adding: ‘I am fighting to find out everything I possibly can about my daughter’s death. ‘I’ve never said she was murdered, nor that she was sexually assaulted. The problem has been that someone has never allowed me to see the evidence. ‘I refuse to speculate on what happened to her because frankly it is too awful to think about.’ He added: ‘My suspicion regarding what happened to my daughter was made clear when I wrote to the MoD shortly after her death asking if finger prints had been taken off the rifle. ‘They took five months to reply and then said there had been no point taking fingerprints because it was a pooled weapon. ‘There is quite simply no evidence that connects Cheryl’s death with the rifle found near her body. Finger prints were not taken, rounds remaining in the rifle were inexplicably destroyed and bullet fragmentation was allegedly not collected at the post mortem.’ Concerns about the deaths led police to investigate in 2002, but the force refused the families access to their files of evidence. After Liberty threatened legal action, Surrey Police caved in and handed over 44 volumes of statements, notes and photographs in 2012. The material contained ‘significant forensic evidence that was never properly examined and suggestions important witnesses lied’ at the first inquest, said Liberty. But the force has still not handed over 25 per cent of the files on the death of Pte James. Mr James added: ‘If we can make a case with 75 per cent of the files, one must wonder what else is to come and why exactly it has taken Surrey Police almost ten years to hand it over. ‘Surrey Police have let us down over and over again. They let us down in 1995 when they ignored our daughter’s death by leaving it to the army. ‘They let us down a second time when they conducted a sloppy investigation in 2002, which left huge questions… not least of which was they didn’t allow the dignity of those poor kids to have individual investigations.’ Pte James, 18, was found dead in a copse of trees at the base (pictured) after she had been on sentry duty in November 1995 . Speaking yesterday, Emma Norton, Legal Officer for Liberty, said: ‘Des and Doreen have suffered all these years and the case should be dealt with separately as that is what these young people and their families deserve. ‘Surrey Police have repeatedly refused to give access to the materials held by them to the families all these years. ‘That it should be Surrey Police that is again standing in the way of – or significantly delaying – justice is disgraceful.’ They said it was ‘only in their interest’, not in the interest of the families, and said their ‘sudden request for an adjournment’ was shocking. The High Court ruled there was an ‘insufficiency of inquiry’ at the original 1995 inquest into Pte James’ death which lasted just an hour. Two judges quashed the controversial open verdict last year - a dramatic breakthrough in the family’s 19-year fight for justice. Miss Norton added: ‘In July 2014 Des and Doreen finally got what they had been fighting for for 20 years when the High Court agreed to order a fresh inquest following the disclosure of thousands of pages of new material.’ A hearing was held earlier this month to set a date for the inquest later this year, but lawyers acting on behalf of the police called for it be stayed until all of the other cases were prepared. The family are now waiting to hear back from the coroner into whether the case will be suspended until such a time. ‘This is a process that could take many, many months and probably years as they haven’t even completed disclosure and there are many thousands of pages to go through concerning all 4 deaths’, Liberty said. ‘Des and Doreen’s case is ready to go now. Surrey Police are being obstructive by trying to delay this and they have not been there for the family. It is not in the family interest. ‘These deserve separate individual careful inquests. ‘It may well be that evidence comes to light. The concern has always been that they (Surrey Police) were predisposed to find suicide and until we dig into the heart of this case the family will never know what happened to their daughter.’ The soldiers’ families have refused to accept that all four committed suicide at the barracks (pictured), accusing the Army of covering up bullying and abuse . ‘I can’t explain how angry I am, I find it so upsetting’, Mr James said. ‘It is such an hypocrisy, Surry Police pretending that they have the families interests at heart when they have abjectly refused to allow us disclosure for so many years.’ An inside source claimed Surrey Police were ‘lumping’ the cases together to ‘soften the blow’ to the force by taking ‘one bad hit at once’, rather than four separate hits. The source added: ‘There is a fear that it is going to be easier to mask the individual failings if the cases are all lumped together.’ It has since emerged that even the families of Sean Benton and James Collinson do not want all the inquests to be treated as one case. Mr James added: ‘I can’t understand for the life of me how Surrey police think by dictating the pace of this they are doing the families a favour. ‘The suggestion that we will benefit from this is ridiculous. ‘Surrey Police are holding all of this up, we are ready to go, and the MoD is ready to go.’ A Surrey Police spokesman said: ‘Surrey Police is supportive of the view that there should be a thorough inquest into the circumstances in which Pte Cheryl James died. ‘At the pre inquest review His Honour Justice Barker was asked to consider the merits of holding any new inquests arising from the deaths of Pte Cheryl James, Pte Sean Benton, Pte Geoff Gray and Pte James Collinson, together or individually. ‘This was raised as a matter for consideration and Surrey Police will fully support the coronial process.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Private Cheryl James died from a gunshot wound at Deepcut Barracks . She was one of four young soldiers who died in unexplained shootings . Parents have fought for justice for their 18-year-old daughter for 20 years . They have accused the police of delaying a new inquest into her death . Pte James' family believe the police are trying to push back case by years .