Two senior Army officers will face trial later this year over their handling of a sex assault claim made by a teenage soldier who later committed suicide.
Major James Hook and Colonel Samantha Shepherd are accused of misconduct in relation to information passed to them about a sexual assault committed on Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, by a superior officer.
Miss Beck was found dead in her barracks in Larkhill Camp, Wiltshire, in 2021.
Former senior non-commissioned officer Michael Webber, 43, was jailed for six months by a military court last year after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting Miss Beck five months before her death.
At an inquest into Miss Beck’s death which concluded last year, a coroner said the Army’s handling of her complaint was a ‘more than a minimal contributory part in her death.’
Brigadier Melissa Emmett, on behalf of the Chief of the General Staff, later said the Army ‘should have done so much more to support and protect her.’
Colonel Shepherd and Major Hook appeared via video-link at the Military Court Centre at Catterick Garrison, North Yorks, on Wednesday to deny charges in relation to Miss Beck.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was found dead in her barracks in Larkhill Camp, Wiltshire, in 2021.
Gunner Beck with her mother, Leighann McCready, at her passing out parade
Col Shepherd, who is now based in the US, pleaded not guilty to two charges of conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline under the UK Armed Forces Act 2006.
The first alleges that ‘on July 13, 2021, and thereafter, you did not report the commission of an alleged sexual assault to the service police in respect of a suspect within the regiment of which you were regimental colonel.’
The second alleges that ‘on a date in July 2021, you misreported what you had been told by Jaysley Beck’ to another person.
Major Hook pleaded not guilty to one charge of the same offence, which said that ‘on July 13, 2021 you did not treat information passed to yourself by Jaysley Beck in a manner consistent with its seriousness.’
Members of Miss Beck’s family were listening via video-link as the senior soldiers were told they would stand trial in September.
The judge was told Hook is serving with 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and Shepherd, who appeared from the United States, is serving with the British Defence Staff in the country.
Miss Beck’s inquest was also told the teenager, originally from Oxen Park in Cumbria, had been subjected to relentless harassment from her line manager, Bombardier Ryan Mason, who sent her more than 4,600 messages expressing his feelings for her.
Miss Beck was found hanged in her barracks in December 2021 after a work Christmas party and had earlier complained she had been ‘pinned down’ by a colleague.