In a quieter morning for Defence news across broadcast outlets, there is widespread coverage across the newspapers of the inquest into the death of Private Cheryl James, who died at Deepcut Barracks in 1995.
Private Cheryl James inquest
The Sun, The Independent, The Guardian, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Telegraph and The Times report on the first day of the Private Cheryl James inquest, many leading with reports that the Coroner has confirmed they will not look into claims of a culture of sex abuse at Deepcut Barracks. The articles report that the case will hear at least 80 witnesses and has been adjourned until Thursday. Articles contain comments from Cheryl’s father, Des James, saying he hopes for justice for his daughter and the other young soldiers who died. He adds that the MOD has to be held accountable.
An MOD spokesperson said:
Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Private Cheryl James. The inquest will now be a matter for the Coroner, but we will of course continue to cooperate with and provide support to the Coroner where needed.
Historical allegations
The Times, Daily Mail, Daily Star, The Sun and Daily Telegraph all report that the Armed Forces face more claims for compensation, this time over actions in Afghanistan, if the Government fails to overturn a ruling that a Taliban bomb maker can sue over his detention. The papers report that Serdar Mohammed is pursuing a test case that could pave the way for hundreds of claims by Afghan insurgents. They state that the Ministry of Defence has lodged an appeal to the UK Supreme Court. Comments from Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt made after the Appeal Court hearing last year are included in The Times and Daily Mailarticles saying, “The notion that dangerous insurgents cannot be detained for more than a few hours is ludicrous”.
An MOD spokesperson said:
The cases of Al Waheed and Serdar Mohammed, aspects of which will be heard in the Supreme Court this week, are of paramount importance to Defence. It is vital that the Armed Forces have the freedom to detain enemy forces when they are engaged in armed conflict.
MOD Public Relations
The Daily Mirror reports that the MOD is spending £50m a year on public relations and marketing. It says that the MOD has 49 PR staff, spending £5.6 million on PR and Press in 2014-15. Defence Minister Mark Lancaster is quoted in the article saying “the vast majority” was spent on “direct support of recruitment campaigns”.
An MOD spokesperson said:
It is important that taxpayers know how their money is spent and that means communicating the work that our Armed Forces do to keep Britain safe. The number of MOD civilian communications jobs has been cut by more than a quarter since 2010 and communications spend amounts to less than 0.25 per cent of the Defence budget.
Quick Reaction Alert
The Daily Mirror reports that Russian military jets have sparked 50 RAF Quick Reaction Alerts (QRA) in 6yrs. The piece notes that all Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and includes the MOD statement and an RAF source quote saying that the Russian’s are posturing.
So far the troops have been learning to live off the land, involving identifying edible plants and fruits, and how to track and trap animals, as well as how to use the environment to collect water and build a fire.
Photographer: Cpl Timothy Jones RLC; Crown Copyright 2016
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