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deepcutinquest · 8 years

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THE SERGEANTS MESS

First posted 22 March 2016

Two of the most eagerly anticipated witnesses gave evidence on the same day

Waiting is nothing new for families of the four young people killed at Deepcut. The parents of Cheryl James have waited 20 years and relatives of Sean Benton, Geoff Gray and James Collinson will have to wait a while longer. The daily witness list at Cheryl James new inquest is announced at the end of each hearing and every name is studied. Some of them have been surprising, some baffling, some touching but none have been as anticipated as the two sergeants who appeared on Monday. They have been the subject of much speculation and characterisation among people who have followed this story. These were two men everybody wanted to see in the witness box. Andrew Gavaghan swore to tell the truth before sitting down in the witness box of court 3 at Surrey coroner's court in Woking on Monday afternoon. The former army sergeant, who now wears a hearing aid, was one of the most talked about witnesses in the lead up to the second inquest into the death of Cheryl James. Pte James was the second of four young soldiers found shot dead at the British army barracks near the village of Deepcut in Surrey between 1995 and 2002. Her body was found on the morning of November 27, 1995 with a single gunshot wound to the face. The army have always maintained she took her own life and the second inquest was ordered after the High Court ruled there had been insufficient inquiry into her death. Mr Gavaghan joined the army in 1980 and stayed in until 2003. During 1995, he was a troop sergeant at the Princess Royal barracks. Bridget Dolan QC to the inquest asked him if he knew Cheryl James, was she in his troop? Softly spoken with a north east accent, Mr Gavaghan said: "No. "I never knew her at all. "I may have come across her but I have no recollection of her." Mr Gavaghan said he passed through the gate Cheryl James was guarding on the morning of her death. Ms Dolan asked him if he remembered reprimanding the 18-year-old as he went through. "No recollection whatsoever," he said. Problems with the culture at Deepcut Alison Foster QC for the James family took the former sergeant through a list of problems identified at the camp. The former troop sergeant, who had responsibility for the security and training of recruits, was unable to explain problems in the highly sexualised climate of the camp where relationships between recruits were common and admitted they were difficult to police. Recruits were not allowed in the opposite sex accommodation and he was unaware of it happening, he said. He was unable to explain how problems were dealt with or why he was unaware of them. Underage drinking in the NAAFI bar, referred to by former trainees, was against the rules, he said. Drink was not allowed in the accommodation blocks, he said. He admitted there were no systems in place to deal with serious welfare problems and could not explain why young soldiers said they did not know who to go to if they had a complaint. He described himself as approachable and available although the ratio of trainees to instructors was a problem. He would offer to demonstrate his advanced training in field craft to the young soldiers and admitted this could have led to myths developing around him of spying on them. Mr Gavaghan desribed supervision by observation and said it was his job to keep an eye on the young soldiers. The former sergeant, who is now works in the NHS, admitted he divided opinion. He told how he was a master sniper and used an alter ego to discipline young soldiers. He described using an imaginary twin brother as a way of bringing out a side of himself which he said was not his natural self. The twin could be strict and authoritarian and Mr Gavaghan said he needed to use him as a tool when the numbers of trainees in his care were overwhelming. Two sides to me Another young solider described how they were all petrified of Sgt Gavaghan. "There was two sides to me," he said. "My caring natural side, that's how I always led people. "In Deepcut because off the ratio, I was unable to use that style. "When people weren't working as a team, then I would have to be verbal and conduct myself in a different way to how I would like to. "If people newer or not there for any length of time, they would know that was not my style of leadership. "At times I had to shout, I had to scream because of the sheer ratio of recruits." The sergeant recruits described as intense and frightening, never raised his voice while giving evidence and said he always encouraged recruits to come to him with their problems. He was asked about an alleged confrontation with Pte James during her time at the Surrey camp. Alison Foster QC for the James family said: "This inquest will shortly hear evidence that you were seen having a shouted altercation with Cheryl James. "Is that true?" "No," Mr Gavaghan said. "The words are Don't you fucking test me, don't you fucking dare. "Did you shout that at Cheryl," Ms Foster asked. "No. "I never no," Mr Gavaghan said. "I never said that to Cheryl and I've no recollection of saying it to anybody else." You might've said that to a recruit when you're angry? "I've got no recollection." He told Bridget Dolan QC to the inquest: "If I'd reduced somebody to tears, I'd have more recollection but I can't remember disciplining her verbally and reducing her to tears." November 27 Asked about the morning Cheryl was found dead he said: "I can remember, It was a day off. "I lived locally with my wife and I'd volunteered to come in on Monday morning. "There was a female guard on the gate she must not have known me because she asked for ID and she wasn't sure if she should call me sir. "I just said good morning, I'm a sergeant and continued walking." Mr Gavaghan said he passed through the gate around 0730 and never went back. He found out an hour later there had been an incident while he was in his office doing paperwork. "I was in the office and I seen Sister Smith, It was very unusual to see her outside the medical centre. "I realised she was crying. "I went across and she said that somebody has shot themselves. "She was really emotional. "I locked the office up and went down to the medical centre," Mr Gavaghan said. "I spent most of the time in the medical centre, supporting people who were distressed." Later the young soldiers distress turned to anger, Mr Gavaghan said. "I'd heard some of the people had gathered in that room so I'd gone to see how they were and if I could help. "They were very angry because they'd been informed they couldn't go out of camp or phone home. "It was the wrong place for me to challenge that. "Naturally they were angry, then I sat down and tried to explain. "That was the first time I'd heard that decision had been made and I remember explaining it was so the family could be informed." Ms Foster asked him if he told the soldiers not to speak to police. "No, I wouldn't have said that. "I would never have said that," Mr Gavaghan said. Sex Room Alison Foster asked about a room set aside in an accommodation block which was set aside for sex. Mr Gavaghan replied: “No, I never said that.” Asked about a claim he ordered Cheryl James to have sex with another soldier the night before she died, he said: "That never happened because I never knew Cheryl until the morning that she died.” Mr Gavaghan said he had been involved in the Scouts and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards before his time at Deepcut, working with disadvantaged and disabled young people and had experience in counselling. He had been trained in reconnaissance before joining the Royal Logistic Corp and was a master sniper. After leaving Surrey, he studied for a PHD and set up his own business as a psychological therapist. When he was released by the assistant coroner, His Honour Judge Barker, Mr Gavaghan said: "Thanks for your time." Clogged Sausage Machine Earlier the inquest heard from the former Regimental Sergeant Major Stephen Buchanan. Wearing a checked sport coat and striped shirt, he spoke directly into the inquest microphone in a confident voice which boomed louder than any other witness. Mr Buchanan joined the army in 1976, leaving in April 2000. He was RSM at Deepcut for a year until November 20, 1995 when he was accused of sexual impropriety with a recruit. He described the camp as a clogged sausage machine with a leaderless sergeants mess when he arrived. "The regiment was tended to as it should've been," he said. "The corp had just been amalgamated, it was young. "It was very challenging for me considering size and scope of regiment and breadth of training. "On a daily basis there were upwards of 1100 soldiers in the camp. "It took me a while, a couple of months, to assess what needed to be done." Mr Buchanan said the regime was top heavy. "You have a lot of very senior officers there." It was a regiment within a regiment, he said. Mr Buchanan was also asked about standards of sexual behaviour at Deepcut. "Unless there were any disciplinary actions that were required were brought to my attention, I didn't notice anything that was wrong. "It is a difficult challenge when you have men and women serving in the same accommodation. "We were all learning the rules as we were going along." He said allegations of sexual relations between NCOs and recruits and sexual harassment were never brought to his attention. He was also unaware of any breach of regulations regarding lone female guard duty. "My remit as RSM is discipline, security and training of soldiers on camp. "A major and myself would've headed security. I remember getting quite actively involved in that when I was there. "So much so, there was officers refused entry without an ID card," Mr Buchanan said. Alison Foster said she had been asked by the James family to find out if Mr Buchanan had ever had sex with Cheryl James. "You said more than once you could not remember if you had sex with Cheryl James," she said. "At the time of the statements in 2005, it was ten years from the incident," Mr Buchanan said. "I can't recall being shown a picture of Cheryl. "I've seen pictures since and I can categorically say on oath, I did not have a relationship, sexual or otherwise, with Cheryl James," he said. You fancied Cheryl Another former troop sergeant was asked if he fancied Cheryl James. Adrian Stevens said Private James was very bubbly and a pretty girl. He denied fancying the 18-year-old and said he was shocked and surprised by her death. The inquest continues.

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