DEEPCUT II

FOUR British soldiers have carried out suicide bids at the same Army base in six months.

One soldier succeeded in killing himself, and the events are now threatening to engulf the Army in a second "Deepcut" scandal.

Three of the men were discovered in time by Army colleagues in 23 Pioneer Regiment based at Bicester, Oxfordshire.

A fourth, Private Gregory Bruce, hanged himself in his barracks room three weeks ago.

The regiment is part of the Royal Logistics Corps - the same corps involved in tragedies at Deepcut, Surrey, where four young soldiers killed themselves amid allegations of bullying and abuse. Detectives from Thames Valley Police are investigating whether Pte Bruce, 28, had been a victim of bullies.

Senior officers have also launched a Board of Inquiry into the death of the Northern Ireland veteran.

Two weeks ago another Private, believed to be in his 20s, attempted to hang himself in his room while he was drunk. He was found by friends and later treated in hospital in Oxford. Royal Military police have begun an inquiry.

In two further incidents at Bicester in the last six months a senior Non Commissioned Officer attempted to slash his wrists after suffering domestic problems. Another soldier, believed to be a Private, also tried to take his own life after returning from a tour and suffering personal problems.

A senior Army source said: "Unless someone gets a grip on what is happening in Bicester it is going to be another Deepcut." An inquiry prompted by deaths at Deepcut barracks and allegations of abuse between 1995 and 2002 , highlighted "indifference and incompetence" in handling the issue.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "There is no pattern of suicide or self harm at 23 Pioneer Regiment and any incidents are not linked."

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