THE sister of a soldier who killed himself at a notorious army barracks has accused the British Army of treating victims’ families with contempt.

Tracy Lewis slammed the military after it was revealed it had failed to honour a pledge made at Private Sean Benton's inquest in 2018.

Pte Benton, from Hastings, was found with five bullets in his chest in June 1995, shortly after he had been told he was to be discharged from the Army.

He was the first of four young soldiers to die of gunshot wounds at the Surrey barracks between 1995 and 2002.

At the time of his inquest, the army pledged to ensure that trainees and recruits could report serious physical or sexual assaults to the police, in an effort to help tackle bullying and harassment in the ranks.

But during follow-up inquiries made by Benton’s family this year, it was revealed that army had not acted as promised.

Ms Lewis told The Guardian: "The army promised my family that they would ensure that trainees and recruits in the army today fully understand that if something bad happens to them – like a serious sexual or physical assault – that they can report to the civilian police and don’t have to go to the military authorities.

“The evidence we heard at all the Deepcut inquests was that our young people just did not know they could do that and had nowhere to go for help. Now we learn, three years later, that the army did nothing. To our families, this feels like contempt.”

It comes after it was revealed that the investigation into new allegations of assault and misconduct at the barracks has failed to make an arrest after almost three years.

The new investigation was confirmed in February 2019, following a review after the second inquest into Sean Benton's death.