Deepcut inquest: Soldier shot dead 'had wounds consistent with self injury' inquest told

Barb wire surrounds the Defence College of Logistics at Deepcut, near Camberley (Getty Images)

Ballistics evidence in the death of Private Cheryl James at Deepcut Barracks is “consistent” with a self-inflicted injury, an inquest has been told.

The 18-year-old Army recruit was discovered with a fatal head wound on November 27 1995 - one of four young soldiers to die at the training camp in Surrey over a seven-year period.

Pte James, from Llangollen in North Wales, was found with a bullet injury between her right eye and the bridge of her nose.

Former forensic scientist David Pryor told an inquest at Surrey Coroner's Court in Woking it is his “strong opinion” that it was an “intimate contact shot”.

He said a series of photographs showing the position of her body, the rifle and her wound were all consistent with a self-inflicted injury.

Mr Pryor concluded that the wound “shows features consistent with a contact shot”.

“By that I mean with the weapon muzzle in intimate contact with her head,” he added.

“The wound exhibited stellate tearing, a feature you see in contact gunshot wounds where the expanding muzzle gasses ... cause the tissue to split in a radial manner.

”This is a feature not observed when the shot is fired from a distance.“

He said there was also ”blackening“ on Pte James's face which, ”if it was from the emissions from a gunshot it would be consistent with what you would expect to see ... in contact wounds“.

Mr Pryor was not asked to provide a report until seven years after Pte James's death.

Forensic ballistics expert Ann Kiernan conducted a series of experiments using synthetic bone, skin and tissue and pig skin at various firing distances to simulate the injury and deposition of soot from the rifle.

”In my opinion the muzzle of the weapon was at contact, or near contact, to Cheryl James's face at the time of discharge,“ she concluded.

She said black marks seen on Pte James's hand in a photograph are ”consistent“ with her holding the barrel of the rifle when it was fired.

”If it is soot it is consistent with one's hand being near the muzzle of the weapon,“ she added.

She continued: ”The orientation of her body, particularly hands, and rifle are consistent with a self-inflicted incapacitating injury.“

Ms Kiernan admitted that it was not possible to ”exclude other possibilities“ from the evidence.

She said blackening on Pte James's face is ”consistent with soot deposits“.

Alison Foster QC, representing the James family, questioned Ms Kiernan about the validity of her tests.

She described the methods as ”haphazard“ and added: ”The tests devised just couldn't show the failure of the exit wound or fragmentation of the bone within the head space.“

”I'm not saying who pulled the trigger, I've never mentioned that,“ Ms Kiernan responded.

Ms Foster said: ”I have to suggest there are examples in your report that you did come to the case with a preconceived idea... and your initial view was that the shot was self-inflicted, a self-shooting.“

The inquest will resume at 10am on Tuesday.

Press Association