A former senior non-commissioned army officer has admitted sexually assaulting teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later took her own life. Warrant Officer Michael Webber pleaded guilty to assaulting Gunner Beck during a training exercise and will be sentenced at the military court in Bulford, Wiltshire, on 31 October.
Beck, 19, from Cumbria, died in her room at Larkhill Camp, Wiltshire, in December 2021, five months after the assault. At her inquest in February, coroner Nicholas Rheinberg said her complaint about the assault during an exercise at Thorney Island, Hampshire, should have been reported to police, and the failure to do so breached army policy. He stated that the army's failure to take appropriate action 'more than minimally' contributed to her death.
Leighann McCready, Beck's mother, expressed relief that Webber admitted his guilt but criticised the delays. 'Jaysley did everything right. She reported the assault immediately, not once but twice. First to her captain, who dismissed and dissuaded her from going further. And even then, she went over his head and reported it up the chain. But her chain of command still failed her,' she said. McCready added that her daughter lost faith in being believed, which led to her feeling she had nowhere to turn when another senior male harassed her weeks later.
The family's solicitor, Emma Norton, said: 'What a difference it would have made if Jaysley's chain of command had just listened when she told them about the assault the morning it happened and reported it to the police – instead of trying to persuade her that it wasn't that serious, and to think about the impact on her assailant's career and family.'
The inquest heard that Beck had complained that Webber 'made a pass' at her, put his hand between her legs, and 'pinned her down' while trying to kiss her. Beck, who joined the army at 16, was left scared and ended up sleeping in her car for safety. After the inquest, the army admitted it should have done 'so much more' to support and protect Beck. Webber has since left the army.
