‘The Army continues to be not secure for ladies years after my daughter took her personal life’: Jaysley Beck’s mom condemns MoD report exposing surprising ranges of sexual harassment

The mother of Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck has claimed the Army is still not safe for women years after her daughter took her own life.

Gunner Beck was 19 years old when colleagues found her unresponsive at Larkhill Camp, Wiltshire, in December 2021.

She had been sexually assaulted by a male superior who had pinned her down and tried to kiss her months before her death. He was later jailed for six months.

Her mother, Leighann McCready, has condemned a new Ministry of Defence (MoD) report which shows two thirds of military women have experienced sexualising behaviour.

The first-of-its-kind survey found that 67 per cent of females experienced at least one sexualised behaviour in the last 12 months, compared to 34 per cent of males.

Other women have also spoken out about a ‘deeply rooted cultural issue’ in the armed forces, including unwanted comments about their appearance, harassment, leering and groping.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms McCready said: ‘These findings are not just statistics on a page. They represent real women, real trauma and real families living with consequences that can never be undone.

‘Behind every percentage point is somebody’s child, and one of those children is my daughter, Jaysley Louise Beck.

‘Jaysley was only 19. She was sexually assaulted by a senior male who was twice her age and rank. She did exactly what she was supposed to do. She reported it and she trusted her chain of command. 

‘Instead of being protected she was pushed into accepting a letter of apology. Her abuser faced no consequences. He was promoted.’

Gunner Beck’s death followed a complaint she made against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, now 43, after he pinned her down and tried to kiss her, an inquest heard in February this year.

In October, Webber was ordered to serve a six-month jail sentence in a civilian prison for his part in the teenager’s death. His sentence came four years after the assault took place.

Gunner Beck had made a complaint of sexual assault against Webber the day after the incident, but it was not investigated by military or civilian police and he was instead given a ‘minor disciplinary’.

The sergeant was ordered to write a letter of apology to the teen, before being promoted months later to warrant officer class 1, a respected role which involves responsibility for soldier welfare.

Ms McCready said Webber’s letter confessed to an incident on July 12, 2021, describing his own behaviour as ‘absolutely unacceptable’.

But he concluded by telling Gunner Beck, ‘My door will always open’ – a phrase which she said her daughter found to be dismissive.

The female soldier told military chiefs Webber said he had been ‘waiting for a moment for them to be alone’, engaged her in a drinking game called Last Man Standing before grabbing her leg and trying to kiss her.

An inquest heard she pushed him away and left the room before spending the night in her car and making a complaint to her superiors in the morning, during a stay at Thorney Island, near Emsworth, in Hampshire for an adventure training exercise.

Webber was later given a ‘minor administrative action interview’ over the work social event incident, with no further consequences.

Gunner Beck was later subjected to a period of constant bombardment by her boss Alex Mason and ‘did not feel safe’ as the situation intensified, an inquest in Salisbury heard.

The teenager felt unable to report anything further as she had been ‘silenced and dismissed’ and did not want to be branded a ‘female troublemaker’, her mother said. 

Mr Mason repeatedly expressed his love for her in 3,600 texts sent in November 2021, saying things like ‘you’re stuck with me forever now’. 

Ms McCready explained her daughter had provided support for Mr Mason who she said had mental health issues.

She had also been upset by her uncle’s suicide in August 2020 and had recently had a relationship come to an end.

Ms McCready continued: ‘This report only confirms what I have been saying for years.

‘The Army cannot keep marking its own homework. A closed system will always protect itself before it protects the people inside it. 

‘Without a truly independent body to handle serious sexual harassment complaints, completely separate from the military, nothing will change. Not for the women serving today.

‘Not for the families who are desperately trying to be heard. Not for the daughters who never got the chance to live the lives they deserved. My daughter was not a statistic. 

‘She was bright, loving, vibrant and full of potential. She should still be here. I am not asking for change anymore. I am demanding it. 

‘No mother should ever have to lay her child to rest because the culture and complaints system of the British Army allowed this to happen and did nothing to stop it. Had they have acted I wholeheartedly believe my daughter would still be alive.’

In February the head of the Army wrote to senior officers condemning ‘shameful behaviour’ after more than 1,000 women shared allegations of sexual abuse.

General Sir Rolamd Walker said he was ‘disgusted’ by the claims, adding the behaviour does not match ‘our values and standards’.

The women shared stories of being raped, abused and harassed while serving in the military.

Posts uploaded anonymously to social media included allegations of women pinned to the floor by male officers as well as reports of men trying to force their way into female colleagues’ rooms.

One woman said: ‘I used to hold my breath in my room at night when they were trying the door, to make them think I was out.’

Another said: ‘I was coming back from the toilet one day when a bloke came out of the showers, pinned me against the wall. Dropped his towel and told me that he ‘knew exactly what I needed’.’

Speaking to the Daily Mail in the aftermath of November’s MoD survey, a former Army staff sergeant, who wished to remain anonymous, said the findings reflected a ‘reality I know far too well’.

She said: ‘My first experience of sexual harassment in the Army occurred in the mid noughties, shortly after I arrived at my first unit as a newly trained soldier. After a work night out, I became very drunk and an older corporal offered to “help me to bed”. 

‘I later realised he had taken me to his room, not mine, and I had passed out. I regained consciousness as he was removing my jeans. I managed to get away, return to my room, and lock the door.

‘I reported the incident to two male SNCOs the next day. They laughed and asked what I was complaining about since “nothing had actually happened”. Both of those SNCOs are now senior officers, and their attitudes appear unchanged from when this happened.

‘My most recent experience occurred in 2023, when I reported my Officer Commanding for unwanted sexualised behaviour. 

‘This included comments such as how I had used my breasts to progress in my career, sending inappropriate sexualised images over social media, and using lewd, sexualised language in the workplace. 

‘I was not the only one affected. Another officer also reported him. He repeatedly said disgusting things to her, too.’

The former soldier claimed the chain of command ‘ignored’ the concerns and that herself and the other female officer were ‘scapegoated’ as they pushed for action.

She said: ‘Both of us ended up facing disciplinary action, and ultimately, we were pushed out of our careers as a result of reporting the behaviour.

‘After 22 years of loyal service, and after doing exactly what the Army trains us to do by reporting sexual harassment, I have now been medically discharged.’

The ex-staff sergeant added what ‘cut deepest’ from the survey was that 32 per cent of women had been ‘touched in ways that made them feel uncomfortable’ and eight per cent were ‘subjected to non-consensual sexual activity’.

She said: ‘These are not minor incidents. They are traumatic violations that stay with you.’

According to the report, 42 per cent of women felt their Service actively tries to prevent harassment, while less than 32 per cent said they felt supported coming forward.

The ex-soldier concluded: ‘For me, and for thousands of others, these numbers confirm what we’ve been saying for years: the Armed Forces has a deeply rooted cultural issue that allows harmful behaviour to continue unchecked. 

‘It is not enough to acknowledge the problem, there must be visible accountability, compassionate support for victims, and real structural change.

‘No one serving this country should have to endure what so many of us have. And no one should be made to feel invisible simply because the people around them think the problem has already been solved.’

A spokesman for the Centre for Military Justice said: ‘Sadly, the survey reflects what all our female clients would say – which is that they are experiencing wholly disproportionate levels of sexual harassment or worse during their service – a situation that does not seem to be improving as the years go by. 

‘Of particular concern is the revelation – buried in the data tables underlying the report – that despite experiencing all these behaviours, hardly any women actually reported or formally complained about their situation. 

‘What does that tell you about their trust in the complaints process? 

‘The Beck family has been calling for true independence to be brought to this system and if the MoD is serious about addressing these appalling statistics, it should start there.’

Minister for Veterans and People Louise Sandher-Jones MP agreed that ‘those who choose to serve our country’ should be treated with ‘dignity and respect’.

She said: ‘We commissioned the UK’s first ever comprehensive military sexual harassment survey, which provides a no holds barred baseline to fully confront and address the root causes of this issue. New standards in transparency and accountability are being set across our Armed Forces.

‘As a veteran myself, this mission is deeply personal to me and I want our military to be the best in class on this issue. Ministers and Chiefs are working closely together to play our part in the Government’s central mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.’

Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton KCB ADC FREng, said: ‘Our job in the Armed Forces is to be ready to deter, fight and win. 

‘To do that our people must feel safe – this is critical to our operational effectiveness. The results of the survey show just how much more I, and leaders at every level, need to do to stamp out behaviour which has no place in the UK Armed Forces. 

‘The data from the survey will help us do this and track our progress. We are committed to driving the cultural change needed.

‘Over the last few years, we have established independent mechanisms for reporting the most serious incidents outside of the chain of command and launched a new Service complaints app, making it faster and simpler to report concerns. As a result, we are seeing more young women and men coming forward to raise issues.

‘Our Armed Forces are rightly respected the world over but to retain this reputation we must enforce the highest standards and actively root out unacceptable behaviours.’

Sir Richard said training, education and ‘upholding the standards we set’ would play a part in driving change.

He added: ‘This starts with the newest recruits and the work we do to instil in them the highest standards. But it is also about the education and training we provide to help our people learn and develop through their careers.

‘As the world becomes more dangerous, and we enter a new era of threat, creating an environment where our people feel safe and confident enough to reach their full potential is critical to the effectiveness of our Armed Forces.’

Ministers commissioned the ‘first-of-its-kind’ study in early 2025, with the results released in November.

The report surveyed more than 90,000 military personnel, including full-time personnel – ‘regulars’ – and part-time reservists.

Women currently make up around 12 per cent of the armed forces.