Inquiry call into NI soldier's death

RIR soldier Paul Cochrane served in Armagh

A local council in Northern Ireland is calling on the Ministry of Defence to set up an independent inquiry into the death of a Royal Irish Regiment soldier.

Castlereagh Borough Council passed a motion on Thursday night calling for an investigation into the death of 18-year-old trooper Paul Cochrane a year ago at Drumaad Barracks in County Armagh.

It is also to ask Northern Ireland's 25 other councils and local authorities across the UK to support a campaign to persuade the Ministry of Defence to set up an independent inquiry into 13 apparent suicides of serving soldiers.

Paul Cochrane's family, from Belfast, have been calling for an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his suicide.

William Cochrane: "Army won't let me see papers on my son's death"

They said he had suffered a campaign of bullying.

"The only thing the Army are telling me and my family is that things are non-discloseable and it is a matter of national security, and the Official Secrets Act, and they don't want to prejudice the case," his father William Cochrane said.

"But the Army gets to see the all these papers. We don't get to see any of them, so we don't know what they have."

Mr Cochrane was speaking to his son on the telephone when he heard a shot being fired. He believes it was the shot that killed Paul.

Castlereagh councillor Mark Robinson who proposed the motion said he hoped the council would help spearhead a UK-wide drive to demand an investigation.

Families' lobby

Up to 40 families whose children died while serving in the army in a non-combat situation are set to lobby Westminster on 29 October.

They are pressing for a public inquiry into the deaths, which they do not think have been properly investigated.

Castlereagh councillors want trouble in the ranks suggestions investigated

Meanwhile, it was announced on Thursday that the police are to begin taking charge of investigations into the untimely deaths of soldiers under new rules prompted by four fatalities at an army base in England.

The change was recommended by the force investigating the incidents at the Deepcut Barracks in Surrey.

Under the guidance distributed by the Association of Chief Police Officers, forces are being encouraged to make a more thorough investigation of deaths at army camps.

The families of four young squaddies who died at the barracks have challenged the army's explanation that they committed suicide.

Private James Collinson, 17, from Perth, died from gunshot wounds earlier this year.

Pressure from his parents, Jim and Yvonne, led to his body being exhumed earlier this month to carry out a second post-mortem examination.

Geoff Gray from London died at the base last year, while Sean Benton from Sussex, and Cheryl James, from north Wales, died in 1995.

Findings disputed

The Army initially insisted the deaths of all four soldiers at the headquarters of the Royal Logistics Corps had been suicides.

The families dispute the Army's findings and allege that bullying at the camp had been covered up.

The police reopened the investigation into all four deaths after pressure from the parents.

In the past an army assessment of suicide has been taken on trust by police.

However, the police must now find hard evidence that deaths are suicides before handing responsibility back to the military.

More than 600 people, mostly soldiers, have already been interviewed as part of the Deepcut investigation.

Part of the inquiry is examining how the "regime" or "atmosphere" at the base may have contributed to the deaths.