A former sergeant major in the British Army has been sentenced for sexually assaulting a teenage soldier who later took her own life.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was tragically found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021.
It emerged that the 19-year-old had suffered an ‘intense period of unwelcome behaviour’ from high-ranking staff prior to her untimely passing.
An inquest, which concluded in February this year, ruled that the Army’s failure to take appropriate action against her superiors made a ‘more than minimal’ contribution to her death.
The court heard how Bombardier Ryan Mason had sent Jaysley 3,600 texts, many of which saw him confess his love for her. Wiltshire Police concluded that the evidence did not support a criminal harassment case.
Before her death, Jaysley had filed a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber after he attempted to ‘pin her down and kiss her’ during a work event in July 2021.
Judge Advocate General Alan Large and a military board handed the 43-year-old, who has now left the Army, a six-month prison sentence at the Bulford Military Court Centre on Friday (31 October).
Webber pleaded guilty to the attack on Jaysley, which took place during a stay at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in September.
Jaysley Beck’s superior has now been sentenced for sexually assaulting her (Family Handout)
The incident, which an inquest previously heard had left Jaysley in tears, is alleged to have taken place after a work training event in July 2021.
Her older sister Emilli Beck told the military court that her sibling had called her the day after the sexual assault to ‘explain the actions of Webber’, saying: “She was disgusted. Michael Webber had severely frightened her that night.”
Emilli explained she was left ‘repulsed’ by Jaysley’s account and slammed the senior soldier as ‘a man who was old enough to be her father taking advantage’.
Prosecuting, Commodore James Farrant told the military court that Webber told the teen she ‘was beautiful’ after the pair stayed up in the bar drinking.
“He put his hand on the back of her head in order to kiss her, and he also touched her thigh,” he said. “She asked him to stop and told him that he should go to bed. However, he continued to the extent that Gunner Beck feared she would not be safe from him if she went to her accommodation.”
She pushed the then-39-year-old away from her and spent the night camped out in her car, before lodging a complaint with her superiors the following morning.
However, the incident was not reported to the police, and Webber was dealt with by a minor administrative action, which involved him being interviewed and writing her a letter of apology.
Five months later, Jaysley – who joined the Army at the age of 16 – took her own life in her room at Larkhill Camp on the afternoon of 15 December, 2021.
The 19-year-old’s parents, Anthony Beck and Leighann McCready, vowed to continue fighting for ‘real change’ in the Army (PA)
Today, Judge Large told Webber: “[Jaysley] had the courage and good sense to tell you to stop and told you to go to bed, but you persisted to the extent she considered she wouldn’t be safe from you even if she went back to her own accommodation.
“Your career continued completely unaffected and you were in due course promoted to Warrant Officer 1.”
Jaysley’s mother Leighann McCready told the court that her daughter’s faith in the system ‘that was supposed to look after her’ had been ‘shattered’ as Webber continued to climb the ranks in the Army.
“I truly believe that what he did and how it was handled broke something inside her that she couldn’t repair,” she said in a victim impact statement.
The court heard Webber served in the Army for 22 years and 128 days before leaving in August this year. He now works as a lorry driver.
Representing Webber, Matthew Scott said that the dad had been left ‘devastated by what happened’ and ‘doesn’t seek to shy away from his responsibility’.
“He accepts through me that his actions on that night on Thorney Island contributed in some way to the tragic outcome when she took her own life in December, about five months later,” Scott said.
Speaking outside the court, Jaysley’s mother said ‘no sentence will be enough’ to ease the pain of their loss, saying: “I stand here as a bereaved mum, fighting for real change. The Army cannot keep marking its own homework.
“We cannot bring our daughter back but I will keep fighting. We believe our daughter would still be here if she was listened to. This is the start of things to come and I will not stop. Jaysley’s voice will be listened to.”
