How not to serve your country....

[Ianofsmeg16]

I remember this on the news, scremed of murder then and still does now, so whats going on to investigate, did it say that the Devon + Cornwall police are investigating now or what?

[Slyspy]

The initial military report declared the deaths to be suicide (although with no real motive being put forward). This despite one suffering two wounds from implausible angles from his own weapon while on guard duty and one, IIRC, being shot in the back. Being the military the enquiry was closed even to the families of the deceased, Needless to say they kicked up a fuss and eventually the police stepped in. However their investigation was with the full cooperation of the military, not independent of it, and they used many of the findings and evidence used in the military enquiry. This police enquiry (which was not a criminal investigation) was also a closed affair. Again the families were not happy, especially since specialists hired by them had questioned the conclusions drawn from what little evidence was available to them. I believe there have been other closed enquiries and/or reviews as well. The review by Devon/Cornwall is merely a review of the original police enquiry and it may well be damning. Again, it is not a criminal investigation of the deaths and again it is an internal investiagtion.

The whole thing reeks of dishonesty to be frank. It suggests that the military has not modernised at all and that policticians will still bend all the rules to avoid embarrassing the MoD. If the Army is so sure that the deaths were suicides then hold a public enquiry to show that. Instead they get a pet police force to add a gloss to the proceedings. If the kids committed suicide due to bullying etc then admit it, discipline the perps and be done with it. As a side note one instructor from the camp has been dismissed for apparently unconnected acts of bullying and threatening behaviour of a sexual nature (I cannot remember whether he was harassing male or female recruits). If the youngsters were killed then allow a criminal enquiry. If they died in accidents then accept any liability (if there is any) and own up like big boys. The MoD budget can take it.

A closed shop only suggests dishonesty, which serves no one in cases like this. Openess is what counts, especially when dealing with new recruits and when there is no threat to ongoing operations.