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An ex- military sergeant has been sentenced to six months in custody for sexually assaulting a teenage servicewoman who afterwards died by suicide.

Sergeant Major Michael Webber, in his forties, pinned down service member Jaysley Beck and sought to kiss her in mid-2021. She was located without signs of life several months after in her barracks at Larkhill military installation.

The defendant, who was judged at the legal proceedings in Wiltshire previously, will be placed in a civilian prison and listed on sex offenders register for seven years.

The family matriarch Leighann Mcready remarked: "What he [Webber] did, and how the armed forces did not safeguard our daughter subsequently, led to her death."

Army Statement

The Army acknowledged it ignored the servicewoman, who was a native of Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she filed the complaint and has apologised for its handling of her complaint.

Following an investigation of Gunner Beck's death, Webber admitted to a single charge of unwanted sexual advance in September.

The grieving parent stated her young woman could have been alongside her loved ones in the courtroom now, "to witness the person she reported brought to justice for what he did."

"Conversely, we are present without her, living a life sentence that no loved ones should ever have to face," she added.

"She followed the rules, but the accountable parties failed in their duties. These shortcomings destroyed our daughter completely."

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Judicial Process

The judicial body was advised that the assault occurred during an adventure training exercise at the training location, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in summer 2021.

The accused, a Sergeant Major at the period, initiated inappropriate contact towards the servicewoman following an alcohol consumption while on assignment for a military exercise.

The servicewoman testified the accused remarked he had been "anticipating an opportunity for them to be in private" before grabbing her leg, restraining her, and making unwanted advances.

She reported the incident against the sergeant after the violation, despite attempts by military leadership to discourage her.

An inquest into her passing found the military's management of the allegations played "an important contributing factor in her demise."

Parent's Account

In a statement read out to the tribunal during proceedings, the parent, expressed: "The young woman had only become nineteen and will always be a young person full of energy and happiness."

"She believed people to protect her and post-incident, the faith was gone. She was very upset and fearful of the sergeant."

"I saw the transformation firsthand. She felt helpless and deceived. That incident destroyed her faith in the structure that was supposed to look after her."

Court Ruling

When announcing the verdict, The judicial officer the judge remarked: "We need to assess whether it can be addressed in a different manner. We do not believe it can."

"We are satisfied the seriousness of the violation means it can only be dealt with by prison time."

He told Webber: "She had the strength and intelligence to instruct you to cease and told you to retire for the night, but you continued to the degree she considered she wouldn't be safe from you even if she went back to her assigned barracks."

He stated further: "The following day, she reported the incident to her relatives, her companions and her commanding officers."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the command opted to deal with you with light disciplinary measures."

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

"Your military service proceeded without interruption and you were in due course promoted to senior position."

Further Details

At the investigation into the soldier's suicide, the investigating officer said military leadership pressured her to cease proceedings, and only reported it to a military leadership "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the period, Webber was given a "minimal consequence discussion" with no serious repercussions.

The inquest was further advised that mere weeks after the violation Gunner Beck had additionally been exposed to "relentless harassment" by another soldier.

Another soldier, her line manager, sent her over four thousand six hundred text messages declaring attachments for her, in addition to a 15-page "love story" detailing his "fantasies about her."

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Official Statement

The Army said it offered its "heartfelt apologies" to Gunner Beck and her loved ones.

"We remain deeply apologetic for the deficiencies that were noted at Jaysley's inquest in early this year."

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