Murder prompts MoD review pledge

Miss Geeson's body was found in woodland at a cemetery

Army rules which mean police are not routinely informed of the serious convictions of soldiers living in their area are to be reviewed.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) made the announcement on Thursday after the murder of Sally Geeson in Cambridge on New Year's Day by L/Cpl David Atkinson.

Atkinson, who lived at the Waterbeach barracks in Cambs, had a previous conviction for false imprisonment.

But the police had not been told of this conviction as he was a soldier.

On Thursday a spokesman for the MoD told BBC News it would look again at its rules about people living in military bases around the country.

"In light of recent events we will be reviewing our procedures to see if any lessons can be learned," said the spokesman.

David Atkinson jumped to his death from a hotel room

Atkinson took his own life by jumping from the top floor of a hotel in Glasgow on Saturday.

Forensic tests later confirmed that he had murdered Miss Geeson, 22, whose naked body was found on 7 January in a cemetery near Cambridge, three miles from where she was last seen after a New Year's Eve party.

A number of women came forward fearing they may have been assaulted by Atkinson.

However, police said they did not believe he was linked to any unsolved crimes in the UK.

On Monday, Miss Geeson's mother, Sue, from Southend, said the news that Atkinson had a previous conviction for falsely imprisoning a woman when stationed in Germany as "very disturbing".

"Questions will have to be asked as to why he was still in the Army - especially at a barracks so near to a town like Cambridge," she said.