Ex-sergeant major admits sexually assaulting teenage soldier who took her own life
A former Army sergeant major has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a female soldier who later took her own life.
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Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, who was 19, was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021.
She had filed a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber after he pinned her down and tried to kiss her at an Army social event.
Webber was later given a 'minor administrative action interview' over the work social event incident, with no further consequences.
He was later promoted to Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) rank, the highest non-commissioned rank in the Army, in May 2022.
Webber, who has since left the Army, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault at a pre-trial hearing last Friday and is now awaiting sentencing.
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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."
An inquest into Gunner Beck's death found that the Army's handling of the case had "more than a minimal contributory part in her death".
Gunner Beck reported the assault, despite attempts by members of her chain of command to persuade her not to. Her mother said she had done "everything right". "She reported the assault immediately, not once but twice."
She said the Army had failed her daughter by not reporting the sexual assault 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 added.
The inquest into Gunner Beck's death also heard she faced harassment from her line manager, Bombardier Ryan Mason, who ‘bombarded’ her with phone messages.
Calls for fundamental reform of the complaints system have been raised multiple times in recent years. Two major reviews, in 2019 and 2021, called for a central service complaints team.
After the inquest in Gunner Beck's death, Brigadier Melissa Emmett, head of Army Personnel Services Group, said: “The three years since Jaysley’s sad death have seen significant changes in the Army, including the introduction of clear and unequivocal policies to state that there will be zero tolerance to unacceptable sexual behaviours.
During Jaysley’s inquest, dozens of female soldiers have described their experiences on the Fill Your Boots social media page, prompting the head of the army, General Sir Roly Walker, to express his disgust and what was happening.