Young soldiers training at Deepcut Army barracks lived in a "highly sexualised environment" where senior staff preyed on recruits in an "abuse and misuse" of power.

An absence of supervision and welfare helped create a "morally chaotic environment" at the barracks where Private Cheryl James died more than 20 years ago, the Army's director of personal services Brigadier John Donnelly conceded.

On the third day of an inquest into her death, Woking Coroners Court heard that sexual activity was so rife at the barracks that a room was unofficially put aside for young men to enjoy sexual activities, which were banned in regular quarters.

Relationships took place between recruits and senior staff, and shortly before Pte James's arrival at the barracks a Regimental Sergeant Major was dismissed over "impropriety regarding sexual and alcohol matters".

Women only began training at Deepcut two years before Pte James's death, and Alison Foster QC, representing her family, suggested there was a "misogynistic" atmosphere there.

Brig Donnelly accepted there was a "highly sexualised atmosphere" at the barracks and an "abuse and misuse" of power, conceding it could be a "morally chaotic environment" for a teenage woman, that the pressure could be "intolerable" and that they "did not have the structures in place to provide a proper duty of care."

He added: "The attitude and language in certain parts of the Army represented a misogynistic viewpoint, which is seen as of its time."

Male instructors at Deepcut saw women as a "sexual challenge", the inquest heard, and officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) sexually propositioned female recruits.

Yet a report shortly after Pte James's death by Brigadier Evans blamed female recruits for being "extremely promiscuous", Ms Foster said.

Alcohol was rife at the barracks, routinely brought back to camp from outside, despite drunkenness being treated as a serious matter.

A 2002 report suggested the training atmosphere led soldiers to become "bored, demotivated, and increasingly prone to indiscipline", creating a "psychological disadvantage" and risk to weaker individuals, Ms Foster said.

There was clear evidence that guard duty - usually carried out in 24-hour shifts - was used a means of punishment, Brig Donnelly admitted, and Ms Foster said that "the potential for self-harm was not a factor considered in respect of guard duty ... and lone guard duty increased the risk of self-harm."

There was also inadequate supervision and welfare support for recruits, which led to a "maximum chance for ungoverned behaviour, rule-breaking and the generation of a chaotic environment", Ms Foster said.

On Tuesday the inquest heard there was often just one corporal in charge of 200 trainees, but one Warrant Officer 2nd-class who served at the barracks between 1995 and 1998 said he at one stage out of hours saw just one NCO in charge of 300-400 recruits.

Females accounted for 25% of trainees but there were only two women officers they could discuss issues with, and both were away from the base on the weekend before Pte James's death.

As well as young recruits, the base was home to more experienced soldiers and those who were awaiting disciplinary proceedings and courts martial - people one commander described as "a little bag of rotten apples".

Jane Worboys, who joined up with Pte James in May 1995, described her time at Deepcut as "diabolical".

She told the inquest: "I just don't think we had a purpose to being there. There was no structure to our days, or continuation of our training, it was just litter-picking or whatever.

"It wasn't much of an existence, really. The instructors were a little power-crazy and they made life unnecessarily monotonous and laborious."

Brig Donnelly had previously apologised to Pte James's family for the situation at Deepcut, which he recognised as having failed new soldiers stationed there.

Following Wednesday's evidence Emma Norton, lawyer for Liberty who represents Pte James's parents, said: "Over the last two days Mr James has listened to Brigadier John Donnelly give evidence about life in Deepcut barracks in 1995, when his daughter was there.

"Mr and Mrs James, for the first time in 20 years, have received a public acknowledgement of some of the concerns they have been raising all this time and a formal apology from the MoD. Liberty and the James family would like to acknowledge this important step."