Two British army officers have been charged with offences relating to the handling of a sexual assault case involving teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later took her own life. Major James Hook and Colonel Samantha Shepherd are set to face court martial on charges under section 19 of the Armed Forces Act for conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline.
Beck, a 19-year-old Royal Artillery gunner, was sexually assaulted by former sergeant major Michael Webber during a training exercise in Hampshire in July 2021. She died by suicide five months later. Webber, who has since left the army, was sentenced to six months in prison in October for the assault.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the charges on Friday, following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command. An MoD spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment further due to ongoing legal proceedings.
Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, expressed relief that charges had been brought but voiced ongoing dissatisfaction with the army's response. She noted that the family had written to the chief of the general staff after the inquest, highlighting multiple failings in the chain of command. McCready also criticised the lack of progress on an independent complaints process for service personnel, particularly young women.
The incident came to light after Webber engaged Beck in a drinking game, touched her thigh, and attempted to kiss her. She reported the assault to her superiors, but it was not passed to police, and Webber was later promoted. Since Beck's death, the MoD has established a serious crime command and a violence against women and girls taskforce, and has agreed in principle to remove serious complaints from individual service handling.
