FAMILIES of young soldiers who died at Catterick Garrison want their inquests to be re-opened because they were carried out by disgraced coroner Jeremy Cave.

Families of the tragic soldiers said the former North Yorkshire coroner and Thirsk-based solicitor, who was jailed earlier this year for three-and-a-half years for plundering clients' estates, exercised a lack of judgement when carrying out the inquests.

They will meet lawyers this week to discuss the high number of deaths at Catterick in recent years.

Since 1997 there have been seven soldiers found hanged at the base, six have died of gunshot wounds and three have collapsed and died after training.

The main cause of one private's death has never been established.

Coroner Cave is said to have told capaigner Lynn Farr there was no need for an inquest into her son's death in 1997.

Now Mrs Farr, who is spearheading a move for a public inquiry into deaths at Catterick, said: "I think his conviction puts his whole judgement into question.

"These cases need looking at again."

One inquest into the gunshot death of Private Allan Sharples took ten minutes.