Soldier found hanged five days after joining Army

A new recruit was found hanging in his Surrey barracks only five days after joining the Army.

The 29-year-old, who has not been named, died despite attempts by paramedics to resuscitate him.

He was found at Alexander Barracks on the Pirbright camp in Surrey just before 8am yesterday.

An MoD source said the man had only been in the Army for five days.

The new barracks are a mile from Deepcut, where four young recruits died as a result of bullet wounds in separate incidents between 1995 and 2002.

Surrey Police said: "The Ministry of Defence is fully co-operating with the inquiries being made by police."

The MoD said: "It is with deep sadness that the MoD confirms the death of a new recruit at Pirbright Training Centre in Surrey. Next of kin have been informed and our thoughts and sympathies are with the deceased individual's family and friends at this difficult time.

Recruits Sean Benton, 20, of Hastings, James Collinson, 17, of Perth, Geoff Gray, 17, of Seaham, Co Durham, and Cheryl James, 18, of Llangollen, Denbighshire, died at the Deepcut training camp over seven years.

An investigation by Nicolas Blake QC found no evidence for the families' claims that they had been "bullied to death".