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Family Snapshot

An ex- service sergeant has been sentenced to half a year in jail for sexually assaulting a teenage servicewoman who subsequently ended her life.

Sergeant Major the former sergeant, 43, pinned down service member Jaysley Beck and sought to kiss her in the summer of 2021. She was discovered deceased several months after in her quarters at Larkhill, Wiltshire.

The defendant, who was sentenced at the legal proceedings in the Wiltshire region recently, will be sent to a correctional facility and on the offender database for multiple years.

The family matriarch Leighann Mcready commented: "What he [Webber] did, and how the armed forces neglected to defend our daughter following the incident, led to her death."

Army Statement

The military leadership acknowledged it failed to hear the soldier, who was a native of Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she filed the complaint and has said sorry for its response to her complaint.

Following an inquest into the tragic death, the defendant confessed to a single charge of unwanted sexual advance in last fall.

Ms McCready commented her child should have been sitting with her relatives in court today, "to witness the person she filed against facing consequences for what he did."

"Instead, we are present without her, enduring endless sorrow that no family should be forced to endure," she continued.

"She followed the rules, but the accountable parties didn't follow theirs. Those failures destroyed our daughter completely."

Press Association

Court Proceedings

The court was advised that the violation took place during an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island, near Hampshire's Emsworth, in July 2021.

Webber, a ranking soldier at the moment, made a sexual advance towards the soldier after an evening of drinking while on deployment for a training exercise.

Gunner Beck testified Webber stated he had been "seeking a chance for them to be alone" before grabbing her leg, pinning her down, and making unwanted advances.

She made official allegations against the sergeant after the violation, despite attempts by commanding officers to discourage her.

An inquest into her suicide found the armed forces' response of the report played "more than a minimal contributory part in her demise."

Parent's Account

In a statement presented to the judicial body earlier, Ms McCready, said: "Our daughter had only become 19 and will eternally stay a teenager full of life and laughter."

"She believed authorities to defend her and following the assault, the faith was lost. She was extremely troubled and scared of the accused."

"I witnessed the change personally. She felt helpless and deceived. That assault broke her faith in the set-up that was intended to safeguard her."

Judge's Statement

While delivering judgment, The judicial officer the judge remarked: "We have to consider whether it can be dealt with in a different manner. We are not convinced it can."

"We are satisfied the seriousness of the violation means it can only be addressed by immediate custody."

He told the convicted individual: "The servicewoman had the bravery and wisdom to instruct you to cease and told you to go to bed, but you carried on to the degree she believed she could not feel secure from you even if she returned to her own accommodation."

He added: "The following day, she reported the incident to her family, her friends and her chain of command."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the unit opted to handle the situation with light disciplinary measures."

"You were interviewed and you admitted your behavior had been inappropriate. You prepared a letter of apology."

"Your career advanced without interruption and you were subsequently advanced to higher rank."

Further Details

At the investigation into Gunner Beck's death, the investigating officer said military leadership put pressure on her to drop the allegations, and just informed it to a military leadership "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the moment, the accused was given a "minor administrative action interview" with no further consequences.

The inquest was further advised that only a short time after the assault Gunner Beck had also been exposed to "relentless harassment" by another soldier.

Another soldier, her superior officer, directed toward her more than 4,600 digital communications expressing emotions for her, in addition to a multi-page "personal account" describing his "personal thoughts."

Personal collection

Organizational Reaction

The armed forces expressed it offered its "deepest sympathies" to the servicewoman and her loved ones.

"We will always be deeply apologetic for the failings that were discovered at the official inquiry in winter."

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