"Blake Has Historic Opportunity To Give Truth And Justice To Deepcut Families" - Öpik

9.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 28th Mar 2006

Speaking ahead of the publication tomorrow of Nicholas Blake's Deepcut Review, Lembit Öpik MP has said: "Mr. Blake has an historic opportunity to give truth and justice to the parents of the young recruits who died at the Deepcut Army Barracks."

Mr. Öpik, is constituency MP for Des and Doreen James, whose daughter, Cheryl, died at Deepcut in 1995. Nicholas Blake was appointed to conduct an Independent Review into the four deaths at the Deepcut Army Barracks between 1995 and 2002. He will publish his conclusion tomorrow.

Commenting, Mr. Opik said:

"It is hard to understand just what these families have been through. More than ten years after their daughter's death, Des and Doreen James still have no idea how or why their daughter died. They've suffered a decade of distress and frustration.

"Nicholas Blake now has the opportunity to give these families what they deserve: truth and justice. If he has not been able to get to the bottom of why these young recruits died at Deepcut then he must call for a public inquiry.

"Three years ago I said this issue would not go away until the parents' questions are answered. Yet the Ministry of Defence have gone out of their way to avoid holding a public inquiry into the Deepcut deaths.

"Whether it comes from Nicholas Blake or a public inquiry, there is no alternative to closure through clarity."