The British government rejected calls today for a public inquiry into the mysterious deaths of four young army recruits, despite new evidence from a forensic expert and a police report critical of the army.
Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram told the House of Commons he "was not persuaded" a public inquiry would shed any new light on the deaths of the young soldiers at the Deepcut barracks near London.
His statement was a reaction to a police report strongly criticising the way the army trains its soldiers.
The 15-month investigation by Surrey Police revealed repeated cases of bullying at the barracks and accused the army of ignoring problems identified as long as 15 years ago.
The army has insisted the four soldiers - three men and one woman who died of gunshot wounds between 1995 and 2002 - committed suicide.
But their families refuse to believe that and have demanded a full public inquiry into their deaths.
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has ruled out an inquiry because previous investigations supported the army's findings.
But last year an independent forensic expert found the bullet wounds were unlikely to have been self-inflicted. One of the men had five bullet wounds in his chest and another was shot twice in the head.
The army's findings have prompted accusations of a cover-up and allegations of a culture of bullying at British army bases, where the youngest recruits are just 16 years old.