THE mother of a Bolton soldier found dead with a gunshot wound to the head is calling for an independent inquiry into his death.

Sapper Philip Eden, a 25-year-old bomb disposal expert serving with the 33 Engineering Regiment EOD, was found dead at Carver Barracks, near Wimbish in Essex, last June.

Although police said the death was not being treated as suspicious, his mother, Albine Constantine, wants an investigation.

She said the recently married father-of-two, whose wife had given birth to a baby girl just 12 days earlier, had everything to live for and would not have committed suicide.

A Ministry of Defence inquiry has not yet finished and an inquest will not be held until later this year.

But Mrs Constantine, of Aldersyde Street, Lever Edge, who has remarried since splitting from Philip's father, said police and independent experts should be involved to determine whether he shot himself.

She has pointed to the example of the deaths of four young soldiers at Deepcut barracks in Surrey, which their families claim were not suicide and could have been the result of bullying.

Now Mrs Constantine fears her family will be left without answers to her son's death.

"We feel everything has been done very quietly by the Army," she said. "It all seems to have been hushed up and we want to make sure we hear the truth.

"I know my son and I know he would never give up. He had everything he wanted with his wife and two children. It just doesn't make sense."

Although Mrs Constantine said Philip was not likely to have killed himself, she believes he could have been the target of bullies.

Philip's sister Melanie Eden, aged 23, has also questioned the integrity of a note found after her brother's death. She says the way the note was signed and dated was unlike Philip.

"We just want to know what happened," she said. "It just doesn't seem right that someone who was so happy when I last spoke to him would want to kill himself."

Philip's father, Ken Eden, when asked if there should be further inquiries into his son's death, said: "No comment. I want him left alone."

Philip's widow, Emma, also refused to comment.

An Army spokesman said the Royal Military Police were carrying out an investigation into Philip's death, but the main inquiry was being conducted by civilian police.

"The Army will do everything it can to keep the family informed and it is up to the coroner to record a verdict," he said.

Mrs Constantine and Philip's sister have asked Bolton South East MP Brian Iddon to help their fight for a full inquiry. Dr Iddon said: "I have written to the Ministry of Defence and I'm trying to get more information."

I am interested in trying to help in any way I can."

Kevin McNamara, MP for Hull North, has led the fight for a public inquiry for the Deepcut families. He believes investigations into all deaths on military bases should be led by the civilian police.

"Firstly the scene of the incident and all relevant evidence has has to be securely maintained to allow a proper forensic examination," he said.

"Civilian police should have primacy in these matters and the military police should be subservient at all times."

"We don't know what happened, but we deserve some answers," she said. "The Army have told us nothing so far -- six months after he died. If someone dies from a gunshot, why do the police not investigate?

The Deepcut families are still waiting for a public inquiry into the tragedies, but ballistics experts have cast doubt on the verdicts of two of deaths, saying suicide would have been almost impossible.

If he ever saw anything in the papers or on TV about suicide, he always said it was a way of running away and said it was the last thing he would do. He was always very happy. Army-led investigations at the time saw inquests into two out of the three deaths result in open verdicts. A police inquiry which finished in March 2003 -- eight years after the first deaths -- found a lack of evidence, although the Army have admitted that bloodied clothes were destroyed.

"In this, there is no difference between an Army death and a civilian death. Civil law takes precedence," he said. "When a soldier is found dead the matter is handed over to the civilian police.

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