Inquiry call on Deepcut soldier's birthday

Private Geoff Gray would have been 19 on Tuesday

The parents of a dead soldier from London marked what would have been his 19th birthday by calling on MPs to back their campaign for a public inquiry.

Private Geoff Gray, from Hackney, east London, is one of four young soldiers whose deaths at the Army's Deepcut Barracks in Surrey are being investigated by police.

Relatives believe the soldiers were murdered, while the Ministry of Defence insists the deaths were suicides.

In a letter sent to all 659 MPs, Private Gray's parents call on politicians of all parties to back a public inquiry.

'Tell truth'

Diane and Geoff Gray said: "Today would have been his 19th birthday.

"Instead of celebrating his birthday, we are sending letters to MPs so that we can find out exactly what happened to him."

In response to claims by some of the families that their homes are being bugged, they added: "Instead of going out for a pint with him, I will be arranging with the police for our house to be swept for listening devices.

"Our world has turned upside down. Why can't someone just tell us the truth?"

The Gray family's call for a public inquiry into the mysterious deaths is backed by the other soldiers' relatives and so far 94 MPs have added their names to an Early Day Motion.

Surrey Police are currently re-examining evidence along with a private investigator hired by the families.

Private Gray, then 17; Private Sean Benton, 20, from Hastings, East Sussex; Private James Collinson, 17, from Perth, and Private Cheryl James, from Llangollen, north Wales, all died from gunshot wounds at the barracks between 1995 and 2002.