Ex- Sergeant Sentenced for Sexual Assault on Young Servicewoman

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An ex- Army sergeant major has been sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old soldier who afterwards died by suicide.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber, in his forties, held down service member Jaysley Beck and sought to force a kiss on her in July 2021. She was found dead several months after in her military accommodation at Larkhill, Wiltshire.

The defendant, who was sentenced at the legal proceedings in the Wiltshire region recently, will be transferred to a civilian prison and registered as offender database for multiple years.

Gunner Beck's mother Ms. Mcready remarked: "His actions, and how the armed forces failed to protect our child afterwards, resulted in her suicide."

Military Response

The Army acknowledged it did not listen to Gunner Beck, who was a native of Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she filed the complaint and has apologised for its management of her report.

Following an inquest into the soldier's suicide, the accused confessed to one count of unwanted sexual advance in September.

The grieving parent commented her daughter should have been sitting with her family in legal proceedings now, "to see the person she reported facing consequences for what he did."

"Rather, we stand here in her absence, enduring endless sorrow that no family should ever have to face," she stated further.

"She adhered to protocols, but those responsible neglected their responsibilities. These shortcomings broke our young woman completely."

PA

Court Proceedings

The legal tribunal was informed that the violation happened during an field exercise at the exercise site, near the Hampshire area, in summer 2021.

Webber, a senior officer at the moment, attempted physical intimacy towards Gunner Beck subsequent to an alcohol consumption while on assignment for a military exercise.

The victim testified the sergeant stated he had been "seeking a chance for them to be alone" before taking hold of her, holding her against her will, and trying to kiss her.

She filed a complaint against the sergeant following the violation, despite attempts by military leadership to persuade her not to.

An official inquiry into her suicide found the military's management of the allegations played "a significant contributing factor in her death."

Parent's Account

In a account shared to the tribunal previously, Ms McCready, said: "She had only become nineteen and will always be a young person full of energy and happiness."

"She believed authorities to safeguard her and after what he did, the confidence was shattered. She was extremely troubled and terrified of the accused."

"I observed the transformation firsthand. She felt powerless and betrayed. That incident shattered her confidence in the system that was supposed to look after her."

Sentencing Remarks

While delivering judgment, The presiding judge the magistrate said: "We have to consider whether it can be dealt with in another way. We are not convinced it can."

"We conclude the gravity of the crime means it can only be dealt with by prison time."

He spoke to Webber: "The victim had the courage and good sense to instruct you to cease and directed you to go to bed, but you carried on to the degree she considered she wouldn't be safe from you despite the fact she went back to her own accommodation."

He added: "The following day, she disclosed the assault to her relatives, her acquaintances and her chain of command."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the military unit chose to deal with you with minimal consequences."

"You were subject to inquiry and you admitted your conduct had been inappropriate. You prepared a written apology."

"Your professional path advanced completely unaffected and you were subsequently promoted to higher rank."

Further Details

At the investigation into Gunner Beck's death, the coroner said a commanding officer pressured her to cease proceedings, and only reported it to a higher command "once details became known."

At the moment, the sergeant was given a "minimal consequence discussion" with no serious repercussions.

The investigation was further advised that mere weeks after the incident Gunner Beck had also been subjected to "persistent mistreatment" by a separate individual.

Bombardier Ryan Mason, her commanding individual, sent her numerous digital communications confessing his feelings for her, along with a fifteen-page "romantic narrative" describing his "imagined scenarios."

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Official Statement

The military leadership expressed it extended its "deepest sympathies" to the soldier and her relatives.

"We continue to be profoundly sorry for the failings that were discovered at Jaysley's inquest in winter."

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