THE parents of a young North-East soldier who died at the controversial Deepcut barracks said today a new Army report showed he was shot by someone else.

Geoff and Diane Gray believe their son, Private Geoff Gray, was murdered and did not take his own life, as one previous investigation concluded.

The 17-year-old recruit, from Seaham, County Durham, was found dead at the Surrey base in September 2001 with two gunshot wounds to the head. An inquest recorded an open verdict.

Mr and Mrs Gray, of Hackney, east London, said the Board of Inquiry report should lead to a fresh inquest and renewed their calls for a public inquiry.

After receiving an advance copy of the report, Mr Gray, 45, said: ''We have waited an awfully long time for this report.

''There are some very serious allegations in the report and it should be shared with everybody else.

''This report could give us at least a new inquest into Geoff's death.

''A public inquiry has to happen.''

He continued: ''There was a mention of a warm weapon on the night that Geoff died - one soldier alleges that another soldier had a warm weapon.

''As far as I'm concerned, if somebody has a warm weapon, it means it has been fired.

''I truly believe that Geoff was murdered.''

Mrs Gray, 44, said: ''The bullets were not checked in, so they do not know who has fired how many bullets.

''I believe my son was murdered. You can't shoot yourself once either side of the head on single shot mode.

''With the information we've got we think we should get a new inquest.''

She said she felt ''a little bit cheated'' by the 80-page report, adding: ''It's no substitute for a public inquiry but we still keep on fighting until we get there.''

The parents were speaking at Westminster after receiving an advance copy of the report from Colonel Simon Doughty, chairman of the Board of Inquiry.

They have always maintained their son's death was never properly investigated.

The couple were furious to be limited in what they could say after the MoD told them not to talk about the contents of the document before Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth makes a statement on the inquiry to the House of Commons on Thursday, when the report will be officially published.

Mr Gray said: ''We've been threatened by the Army that if we break that embargo, no other families in future will have a prior release by the Board of Inquiry.

''That's just bullying tactics by the Army.

''For the last seven years it has been a hard fight to get information out of the Army.

''Even now, I have had to stand there and fight to get this report. I'm very upset.

''There was no need to threaten me.''

A second Board of Inquiry report into the death of Private James Collinson, from Perth, Scotland, who was found dead at the barracks in March 2002, will also be published on Thursday.

Colonel Doughty was also travelling to Perth in Scotland today to hand that report to Pte Collinson's parents.

Pte Collinson was found with a single gunshot wound. The 17-year-old had been on guard duty at the barracks. An open verdict was also recorded at his inquest.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: ''Our duty of care towards service families is a top priority and that is why these reports are being released to the Gray and Collinson families in advance of release to Parliament and the public.

''If the families are content, the reports are normally presented alongside a briefing from the Board of Inquiry president so that they have the chance to ask questions, before being given time to read and digest the report in private.''

The deaths of Pte Gray and Pte Collinson followed those of two other recruits at the barracks, which is to close by 2013.

All four of the recruits who died at Deepcut had gunshot wounds.

Pte Sean Benton, 20, from Hastings, East Sussex, was found dead in June 1995, and Pte Cheryl James, 18, of Llangollen, Clwyd, died there in November that year.

A verdict of suicide was recorded after the inquest into Pte Benton's death, with an open verdict recorded at Pte James's inquest.

A Surrey Police investigation was launched into the deaths in 2002, following pressure from the families, who rejected suggestions their children had committed suicide.

Later, a report by the Adult Learning Inspectorate, commissioned by then Armed Forces minister Adam Ingram, called for substantial reforms in the training of new recruits.

A later investigation by deputy high court judge Nicholas Blake QC called for an independent Ombudsman for the Armed Forces, but rejected the families' calls for a public inquiry.

It also concluded that Ptes Gray, James and Benton had taken their own lives.