Senior Army Officers to Face Court Martial Over Soldier's Death
The family of a young soldier who took her own life after being sexually assaulted by a superior have described their "exhausting" fight for change within the British Army, as it emerges two senior officers will face a court martial over their conduct in the case.
Charges Brought Against Major and Colonel
It is understood that Major James Hook and Colonel Samantha Shepherd will face a court martial over their actions relating to Gunner Jaysley Beck, who was found hanged in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021. The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that two individuals have been charged with offences relating to "conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline", though officials declined to comment further due to ongoing legal proceedings.
Family's Long Battle for Justice
Gunner Beck's mother, Leighann McCready from Cumbria, revealed that following the inquest into her daughter's death, the family wrote to Chief of the General Staff General Sir Roly Walker with concerns about "multiple Army failings in the chain of command" that contributed to the tragedy. "We are relieved finally to have reached this stage today where two individuals have been charged," Ms McCready stated, while expressing frustration about the pace of promised reforms.
"We were promised a new independent complaints process for service people – especially young women like Jaysley who often have to deal with very difficult and challenging situations," she explained. "We have heard nothing further about this and as far as we can tell, young women are still not benefiting from it, almost a year on from the inquest and more than four years on from Jaysley's death."
Inquest Findings and Previous Conviction
An inquest into the 19-year-old's death concluded that the sexual assault and the Army's failure to take appropriate action "more than minimally" contributed to her death. The hearing in Salisbury, Wiltshire, revealed disturbing details about how her complaint was handled by superiors.
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 Gunner Beck five months before her death. Both the inquest and Webber's court martial heard how he had engaged the young recruit in a drinking game before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her at a training event on Thorney Island.
Systemic Failures in Complaint Handling
The coroner's investigation revealed that after pushing Webber away and spending the night locked in her car, Gunner Beck made a complaint to her superiors the following morning. However, the incident was not reported to police, and Webber simply wrote a letter of apology before being promoted shortly afterward.
Assistant coroner Nicholas Rheinberg detailed how Major Hook, who had organised the training event, believed Gunner Beck's allegation "was an excuse" to leave the course. "Instead of investigating Jaysley's complaint further, Maj Hook, having emphasised the effect that the complaint would have on Webber's career, and having stressed the fact that there were no witnesses, told Jaysley to mull the matter over before deciding what action to take," the coroner stated.
Colonel Shepherd, the senior officer present at Thorney Island, was told by Gunner Beck that Webber had tried to kiss her and touch her leg. While she "did not doubt Jaysley's word" and regarded it as "a serious breach of discipline", she directed that action against Webber should proceed by way of minor administrative action – an approach she had previously declared inappropriate.
Ongoing Reforms and Family's Exhaustion
Since Gunner Beck's death, the Ministry of Defence has established a serious crime command and launched a violence against women and girls taskforce. More recently, officials have agreed in principle to remove the handling of serious complaints from individual services.
Despite these developments, the family continues to push for meaningful change. "We feel constantly as though we have to push the Army to change and it is completely exhausting," Ms McCready concluded, highlighting the emotional toll of their four-year campaign for accountability and reform within the military justice system.
