Police admit Deepcut deaths may be murder

The four young soldiers who died from gunshot wounds at the Army's Deepcut barracks in Surrey could have been murdered after all, police admitted yesterday.

And in a further twist, two of the families claimed yesterday that during a private briefing with detectives they were told there was no forensic evidence that pointed to suicide. The families' own independent forensics expert, Frank Swann, said: "Before I said it was highly unlikely the wounds were self-inflicted. But after yesterday's announcement by the police I feel I should say that instead of just being highly unlikely it is virtually impossible - and that the parties were shot and killed by a third party."

Surrey police met the families on Friday shortly before releasing the initial findings of their 15-month, £1m investigation into the deaths, when they said there was not enough evidence to bring a prosecution. The full police report is due to be released next month after receiving evidence from Mr Swann's final ballistics report.

The soldiers died from gunshot wounds between 1995 and 2002, and the Army has maintained they took their own lives. But a Surrey police spokeswoman said: "We can say that none of the evidence is inconsistent with the deaths being self-inflicted. But we must also accept that without eyewitness accounts we cannot rule out the possibility of a third party being involved."

The results of the investigation have left families none the wiser - not least because evidence was destroyed by the MoD officers who initially investigated the deaths.

Geoff Gray, whose son Private Geoff Gray, 17, died in 2001, said that during a private meeting on Friday, police told him three forensic examinations did not point to suicide.

Yvonne Collinson, whose son, James, 20, died in March last year, said: "There is no evidence of murder and no evidence of suicide. But something has happened because they are not here any more."

She added that psychological profiling of her son had revealed he was unlikely to have taken his own life.

Mr Gray said the families would call for a public inquiry into all non-combatant deaths at British bases. The move been backed by more than 200 MPs, Amnesty International and Surrey police.