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An ex- Army sergeant major has been sentenced to 180 days in prison for sexually assaulting a young gunner who subsequently ended her life.

Sergeant Major the former sergeant, 43, restrained Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck and attempted to make physical contact in July 2021. She was discovered deceased half a year following in her military accommodation at Larkhill military installation.

The convicted individual, who was sentenced at the Court Martial Centre in the Wiltshire region recently, will be placed in a correctional facility and listed on sexual offenders list for multiple years.

Gunner Beck's mother Leighann Mcready stated: "What he [Webber] did, and how the Army failed to protect our child afterwards, resulted in her suicide."

Military Response

The Army said it failed to hear the servicewoman, who was originally from the Cumbrian village, when she disclosed the incident and has said sorry for its response to her report.

Following a formal inquiry regarding the tragic death, the defendant pleaded guilty to a single charge of unwanted sexual advance in September.

Ms McCready commented her young woman ought to have been alongside her relatives in the courtroom this day, "to witness the person she accused brought to justice for his actions."

"Instead, we stand here without her, enduring endless sorrow that no relatives should ever have to face," she stated further.

"She followed the rules, but the accountable parties neglected their responsibilities. Such negligence broke our young woman completely."

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Legal Hearing

The legal tribunal was advised that the assault took place during an adventure training exercise at the training location, near Hampshire's Emsworth, in summer 2021.

Webber, a senior officer at the moment, made a sexual advance towards Gunner Beck following an evening of drinking while on deployment for a military exercise.

The servicewoman testified Webber stated he had been "waiting for a moment for them to be by themselves" before grabbing her leg, restraining her, and trying to kiss her.

She filed a complaint against the accused after the assault, despite attempts by commanding officers to persuade her not to.

An official inquiry into her passing found the military's management of the report played "more than a minimal contributory part in her demise."

Mother's Testimony

In a testimony shared to the judicial body earlier, the parent, said: "Our daughter had only become 19 and will forever remain a youth full of energy and happiness."

"She believed individuals to protect her and post-incident, the trust was lost. She was extremely troubled and terrified of the accused."

"I observed the difference personally. She felt powerless and betrayed. That violation broke her faith in the set-up that was supposed to look after her."

Sentencing Remarks

During sentencing, The judicial officer Alan Large stated: "We need to assess whether it can be dealt with in another way. We do not believe it can."

"We are satisfied the severity of the offence means it can only be resolved by immediate custody."

He spoke to the convicted individual: "The servicewoman had the bravery and wisdom to demand you halt and told you to retire for the night, but you persisted to the extent she considered she could not feel secure from you even when she went back to her own accommodation."

He added: "The subsequent morning, she made the complaint to her loved ones, her friends and her commanding officers."

"After the complaint, the command decided to deal with you with minimal consequences."

"You were interviewed and you acknowledged your actions had been improper. You prepared a apology note."

"Your career continued without interruption and you were in due course promoted to senior position."

Further Details

At the inquest into the tragic passing, the investigating officer said Capt James Hook influenced her to withdraw the complaint, and just informed it to a superior officers "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the time, the sergeant was given a "minimal consequence discussion" with no additional penalties.

The investigation was also told that only a short time after the incident the servicewoman had further been exposed to "relentless harassment" by another soldier.

Another soldier, her line manager, sent her over four thousand six hundred text messages expressing emotions for her, along with a 15-page "personal account" outlining his "fantasies about her."

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Organizational Reaction

The Army expressed it extended its "heartfelt apologies" to the soldier and her relatives.

"We continue to be sincerely regretful for the deficiencies that were discovered at the official inquiry in February."

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