Serving military officers face courtroom martial over dealing with of Jaysley Beck sexual assault case earlier than she took her personal life
- For confidential support call Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Two serving army officers are facing a court martial over the handling of a teenage soldier’s sexual assault case before she took her own life.
Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021, after complaining about the behaviour of her male colleague.
The inquest into the Gunner’s death heard she had made a report against former Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, who pinned her down and tried to kiss her during a training exercise at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.
Webber was jailed for six months for sexual assault in October after an inquest into her death found he had played ‘more than a minimal contributory part into her death’.
The Army has said it is ‘profoundly sorry’ for the failings which were found at the inquest.
And now the Service Prosecution Authority has charged two officers in her chain of command – Major James Hook and Colonel Samantha Shepherd.
They were both aware of her complaint before she tragically took her own life.
Ms Beck’s family had written to General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the Army, to request further action be taken against both officers.
Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021, after complaining about the behaviour of her male colleague
Ms Beck made a report against former Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, who pinned her down and tried to kiss her during a training exercise at Thorney Island
Ms Beck’s family had written to General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the Army, to request further action be taken against both officers who are facing a court martial
Colonel Shepherd, who was the regimental colonel for the RA, claimed the allegation against Ms Beck was of ‘unwelcome attention, inappropriate contact’ rather than of sexual assault.
She told the inquest: ‘I know now that it constitutes a sexual assault but I didn’t know it at the time.’
While Maj Hook said he had ‘suspicions’ that the young soldier may have made up the assault as an ‘excuse’ to get away from the team building exercise.
At an inquest, Maj Hook said Ms Beck told him Sergeant Webber had made ‘a pass’ at her and had told her ‘I’ve been waiting for this moment and I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at me’.
He defended his decision not to start a disciplinary investigation straight away and denied he was trying to ‘protect’ Sergeant Webber.
Maj Hook told a hearing that he was running the camp in Thorney Island and became aware an issue had occurred after a drinking event.
A Captain at the time, Maj Hook said: ‘[Gunner Beck] said the Battery Sergeant Major had made a pass at her.
‘I suggested to Gunner Beck that we should go on a walk so I can clarify exactly what she meant.
‘She said that he said something along the lines of ‘I have been waiting for this moment for it to be just the two of us – I can tell that you have been feeling the same way’.
‘The nature of the allegation was extremely serious – even on the lower end of the spectrum.’
The report into Gunner Beck’s death found she had no diagnosed mental health conditions and had not sought welfare support from anyone in the Army
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck pictured on parade. She was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021.
Michael Webber (pictured), was jailed for six months for sexual assault in October after an inquest into her death found he had played ‘more than a minimal contributory part into her death’
Maj Hook said this allegation was ‘clearly hugely inappropriate’ and said he asked the soldier whether she would feel ‘uncomfortable’ being around Sergeant Webber.
Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg asked the army Major why he hadn’t ‘put in place an investigation immediately’.
In response, Maj Hook said he was ‘trying to establish exactly what happened’ and said that what he had heard so far was ‘ambiguous’.
Mr Rheinberg asked him: ‘Have you heard of the expression ‘zero tolerance’?
‘Does that apply in scenarios where there has been sexual misconduct between a senior non-commissioned officer and the lowest junior rank?’
In response, Maj Hook said ‘yes it does’ and he was then asked whether he had not reported the matter in an attempt to sweep it ‘under the carpet’.
Maj Hook said: ‘There was absolutely no motive to protect who was being accused.’
He said that instead he wanted to ‘protect Gunner Beck by giving her the opportunity to decide if she wanted to take the matter any further’.
The inquest was shown a transcript of this interview in which Maj Hook described what Gunner Beck had told him took place between her and Sergeant Webber.
Maj Hook said: ‘She said that when it was just the two of them, he’d said something along the lines of, you know ‘I’ve been waiting for this moment and I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at me’ and I think she alleged that he made a pass at her, as in physically made a pass at her.’
Gunner Beck with her family. Her mother said that the 19-year-old had a ‘really lovely aura about her’
The young woman joined the Army at 16, joining the Royal Regiment of Artillery, which is headquartered at Larkhill
Ms Beck’s line manager Bombardier Ryan Mason had also sent her more than 4,600 text messages confessing his feelings for her, along with a 15-page ‘love story’ detailing his ‘fantasies about her’.
She considered him ‘psychotic and possessive’ but was reluctant to report him.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: ‘Following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we can confirm two individuals have been charged with offences under Section 19 of the Armed Forces Act (conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline).
‘It would be inappropriate to comment further as legal proceedings are ongoing.’
The MoD has launched a violence against women and girls taskforce and set up a serious crime command.
Leighann McCready, Ms Beck’s mother, said that ‘more than 4 years on from the loss of our daughter we are very relieved to have finally got to this point.’
Al Carns, minister for the armed forces, said last year: ‘I think the Gunner Beck case was a horrendous failing of the system.
‘What I can tell you is in the last several years there’s been lots of changes – in the last year we’ve really made a proactive move to create the correct systems so no woman ever feels alone again in defence.’
