A friend of a young female recruit who died at Deepcut Barracks did not believe she would commit suicide, an inquest has heard.
Private Helen Miller, giving evidence on the fifth day of the fresh inquest into the death of Private Cheryl James, described the 18-year-old as “bubbly and lively” and said they had become very close while training before moving to Deepcut.
Pte Miller, appearing via by video link at Surrey’s Coroners Court, said she would “never have imagined” that Pte James would take her own life.
“I wish my that my last conversation with her had been a better one and not this ongoing thing with the two guys,” she added, referring to the fact Pte James was in a relationship with two men, James Carr-Minns and Paul Wilkinson.
Pte Miller last spoke to Pte James while on their guard duty shift at 6.30am.
She said: “She seemed her normal self. I wanted her to make a decision (between the two men) – that seemed to be the topic of conversation.”
The last thing Pte Miller said to Pte James was that she would see her at lunch.
The day before her death the pair bought Christmas presents before stealing alcohol for a party that evening, the inquest heard.
That night of the party, Pte Miller said Pte James wanted to talk to her but that she did not because she was with her boyfriend.
“It was playing on her mind that she needed to make a decision,” she said.
“She was not upset, every time I saw her she was still her normal self.”
On the day of her death, Pte Miller told the court that Mr Wilkinson had visited Pte James while she was on duty to take her a drink, to talk to her and let her know that “everything was OK.”
Under questioning by Peter Mant QC, representing the family, who asked Ms Miller if she was surprised by Pte James killing herself and whether the relationship troubles were a cause, she said “no” because “everyone had boyfriend trouble”.
She said it was not something that was causing her “great upset”, but was more “indecisiveness”.
Pte Miller said suicide being a way out of that trouble seemed “way beyond extreme in comparison to the problem”.
She added: “I was shocked, I would never have seen it coming.”
She also said that she did not think Pte James was picked on by senior staff, but was keen to leave the army.
She added: “I think it was a struggle for her at Deepcut.”
A second inquest into the death of Pte James, from Llangollen, North Wales, is examining evidence suggesting she may have been sexually exploited by senior ranks shortly before her death.
High Court judges ordered the fresh inquest in 2014 after they quashed an open verdict recorded in December 1995. Privates Sean Benton, 20, James Collinson, 17, and Geoff Gray, 17, also died from gunshot wounds at the barracks between 1995 and 2002.
The inquest heard from Ms Miller about how the recruits had talked about the death of Pte Benton and that, if they were going to do it, how they would kill themselves.
“It was the general consensus to shoot you self (in the head) would be the easiest way to do it,” said Pte Miller. “Cheryl was part of that conversation. It was a conversation many were having, not Cheryl alone.”