A former Army sergeant major has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a soldier who took her own life after she was left feeling frightened and pressured not to report the assault to police.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found hanged in her barracks at Wiltshire’s Larkhill Camp on December 15 2021.
Gunner Beck filed a complaint after Senior Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber tried to pin her down and kiss her at a social work event, which left the girl feeling “frightened and in tears”, an inquest into her death in February heard.
In a statement, Gunner Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, said: "We are relieved that Michael Webber has admitted his guilt and not put us through the trauma of yet more legal proceedings, but nothing can undo the devastating loss of our beautiful daughter Jaysley."
Ms McCready said her daughter had done “everything right” and “reported the assault immediately, not once but twice”, which was never reported to the police. "If they had done that one simple thing, we believe with all our hearts she would still be with us today," she said.
Nicholas Rheinberg, the assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, found that the complaint, which had been dealt with as a “minor administrative action” as opposed to being reported to police as a sexual assault, was “more than a minimal contributory factor” in her death.
Mr Webber received a "minor administrative action interview" with no other consequences.
Following the inquest, Gunner Beck’s family asked Wiltshire Police to consider criminal proceedings against Mr Webber. At a pre-trial hearing on Friday, he pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and is now awaiting sentencing.
Gunner Beck had faced pressure from Major James Hook, who was a captain at the time, to not report the assault. It was only when the incident was already known about that Major Hook reported the incident to a higher command.
The inquest heard that Major Hook thought that Gunner Beck may not have enjoyed the kitesurfing course at the adventure training event in Thorney Island, where the incident occurred and said: “I thought there was a possibility that she was trying to generate a situation where she would be removed from Thorney Island and returned to Larkhill.”
Major Hook, who was a captain at the time, said: “She said she wanted nothing bad to happen to him and his career.”
He told coroner Nicholas Rheinberg, Major Hook replied: “There was absolutely no motive to protect anybody who was accused.”
An inquest into Gunner Beck’s death also heard that she had complained to her family about the “possessive and psychotic” behaviour of her line manager, Bombardier Ryan Mason, before she hung herself. Mr Mason had sent her more than 4,500 WhatsApp messages confessing his feelings and detailing his “fantasies about her”.
Brigadier Melissa Emmett, Head of Army Personnel Services Group (APSG), said after the inquest: “I wish to extend the Army’s deepest condolences to Jaysley’s family and friends and to offer them our sincerest apologies for the failings that the Coroner has identified during this inquest; we should have done so much more to support and protect her.”
Emma Norton, the solicitor acting on behalf of Gunner Beck's family, said: "What an enormous difference it would have made if the Army and its chain of command had just listened to Jaysley when she first told them about the assault and reported it to the police, instead of trying to persuade her it wasn't that serious."
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch
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