THE father of a North-East soldier who died in suspicious circumstances said the case for a public inquiry was now overwhelming.

Geoff Gray believes the credibility of a police investigation into the deaths of four soldiers who died at Deepcut Barracks, Surrey, has been seriously undermined.

Mr Gray, whose son, also Geoff, 17, of Seaham, County Durham, died from gunshot wounds in September 2001, said he no longer had confidence in the inquiry.

It has emerged that two Ministry of Defence police officers have been involved in the inquiry, after families were assured their input would be minimal.

The parents of the victims, who are considering making a formal complaint against Surrey Police, said the investigation was launched because it was felt the military were not thorough enough in the original inquiry.

The families of the Deepcut victims are campaigning for a public probe into all non-combatant deaths at UK Army bases, a move which is backed by The Northern Echo.

Mr Gray said: "The news about the military police's involvement came out last week, and it left us flabbergasted because we were under the impression it was a civil police matter.

"All we were told was there would be one officer involved for liaison work only, not for investigation purposes.

"This is just one more step towards a public inquiry as far as I am concerned.

"We have got a problem with the MoD and the Army, now it appears the Surrey Police investigation has been undermined.

"Our confidence in the Surrey Police has been totally shattered over the past few days.

"The only way forward is a public inquiry. That is the only way we can get everybody together."