DEEPCUT SOLDIER HELD OVER BARRACKS 'RAPE'

A SOLDIER has been arrested for allegedly raping a servicewoman at the notorious Deepcut Army barracks.

The lance corporal is accused of luring the woman back to the barracks after a drunken evening out with friends.

It is claimed he then raped her. Detectives from Surrey Police arrested the junior non-commissioned officer who has been released while an investigation is carried out.

Four soldiers earlier died in mysterious circumstances at the Princess Royal Barracks in Deepcut, Surrey. It is the headquarters of the Army's Royal Logistics Corps which has been badly hit by the scandal in terms of recruitment.

Last night a senior Army source said: "The damage done to the Army's reputation over Deepcut is already immeasurable. More allegations of this nature just mean that fewer and fewer parents will be willing to encourage their children to join up."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed the rape allegation, adding: "Surrey Police are leading an investigation."

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