A SOLDIER’S family have criticised the police after they refused to take the blame for vital evidence of his death not being collected.

The last day of evidence for the second inquest into the death of 20-year-old Private Sean Benton, from Hastings, who died from gunshot wounds at Deepcut army barracks in Surrey, took place on Friday at Surrey Coroner’s Court in Woking.

The first inquest concluded that his death was suicide but the verdict was quashed in 2016.

New evidence was heard at the second inquest that had not been presented at the first one.

Paul Greaney QC, representing Private Benton’s family, said the Royal Military Police, who were left to investigate after Surrey police mistakenly gave them control, failed to collect and preserve evidence at the scene following the shooting.

Surrey police have previously apologised to all four of the families who lost a relative at Deepcut Army Barracks for not investigating the deaths and instead leaving it to the Army.

Mr Greaney said the family asked police to acknowledge their part in the insufficient inquiry into the death.

Private Benton was the first of four young soldiers to die from gunshot wounds at the camp.

He was shot five times in the chest with an Army SA-80 assault rifle in 1995.

All four families campaigned for more than a decade to have investigations reopened and the High Court ruled the first inquest had been insufficient.

Private Benton’s mother and father died before the second inquest was ordered.

His sister Tracy was in court to hear the family lawyer say Surrey police had refused to accept the investigation of his death failed to collect vital evidence as a result of their mistake in not taking charge.

A statement from Deputy Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said: “Surrey Police apologised to the families last year for not properly challenging early assumptions that these young soldiers had taken their own lives and for our failure to overturn the custom and practice of the day which allowed for the investigation to be delegated to the Army.

“We have recognised that we should have maintained primacy for these investigations over the Army.

“The Chief Constable reiterates the apology to the family for not assuming primacy in the investigation into the death of Sean Benton.”

Mr Greaney said the police had been asked if they wanted to add to their statement but they declined to do so.

As a result, he said: “The apology to the family has less value to the family than it otherwise would.”