THE Leader of the House of Commons last night became the first Cabinet minister to imply foul play may have caused the death of a North-East soldier.

Peter Hain, Leader of the House of Commons, described some of the allegations surrounding the deaths of County Durham private Geoff Gray, and three other soldiers at Deepcut, as horrifying.

The minister fuelled the Deepcut controversy when he said the deaths at the notorious Army camp in Surrey were too many to be a coincidence.

He spoke out the day after independent forensic investigator Frank Swann said publicly for the first time that he believed all four soldiers at the base were murdered.

Pte Gray, 17, of Seaham, County Durham, was discovered dead from two gunshot wounds to the head in September 2001.

A figure was reportedly seen running away from the area and it is alleged his body was moved shortly after his death.

His parents, Diane and Geoff, have always maintained their son did not commit suicide and have fought tirelessly alongside the other families for a public inquiry.

Mr Hain's comments come as it was revealed Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram will give evidence before the Commons Defence Select Committee next week.

The committee, which includes Durham North MP Kevan Jones, is conducting an inquiry into the Army's duty of care for recruits and Mr Ingram is expected to be heard on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Northern Echo at Westminster, Mr Hain said: "I've found the whole Deepcut story deeply disturbing, and some of the allegations - and they are, as yet, allegations - horrifying.

"I have thought for a while the number of deaths was just too many to be a coincidence and I strongly sym-pathise with the families."

However, Mr Hain supported the Ministry of Defence's controversial decision last week to hold a further review, rather than a public inquiry, into what went wrong at Deepcut.

He said he believed the review could "really have the drains up", adding: "This will probe a bit deeper into the known facts.

"Public inquiries are long and it's better to have a separate investigation that tries to get to the roots of this as quickly as possible."

Privates Gray, Cheryl James, Sean Benton and James Collinson all died from gunshot wounds in unexplained circumstances at the barracks, between 1995 and 2002.

The Army has insisted all four committed suicide, but a coroner recorded an open verdict on Pte Gray's death.

Last night Mr Gray welcomed the minister's words and said it was the strongest indication yet the Government was coming round to the families' way of thinking.

He said: "It is encouraging to think the Leader of the House of Commons is coming on board.

"It is the strongest indication yet that they are thinking our way. He is right in what he says in that we need to get to the roots of Deepcut as quickly as possible - but you can't sacrifice thoroughness with quickness.

"I still firmly believe a public inquiry is the way forward."

Mr Gray said his wife had met Mr Ingram last week to discuss how the review would unfold, but revealed that the families had been left in the dark and it appeared no structure had been put in place.

He said: "There should be a terms of reference and the families should be consulted on how the review should proceed. It should be open and transparent."

But Des James, from Wales, father of Cheryl James, accused Mr Hain of sitting on the fence.

He said: "These people can't have it both ways. They can't come to the Press with a compassionate statement if they are not willing to do anything about it.

"We know what happened at Deepcut is wrong.

"We know it should be looked at. They should be willing to support a public inquiry."

Last week, the Deepcut families and relatives of soldiers who died at Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, gave evidence of their experiences before the Defence Select Committee.