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Family Snapshot

A former Army sergeant major has been ordered to serve six months in prison for attacking a young gunner who later took her own life.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, pinned down service member Jaysley Beck and attempted to force a kiss on her in July 2021. She was located without signs of life several months after in her quarters at the Wiltshire base.

Webber, who was judged at the Court Martial Centre in Wiltshire previously, will be placed in a public jail and on the sex offenders register for multiple years.

The victim's mother the mother remarked: "What he [Webber] did, and how the armed forces neglected to defend our child afterwards, led to her death."

Military Response

The armed forces stated it did not listen to Gunner Beck, who was a native of Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she reported the assault and has said sorry for its handling of her allegations.

Subsequent to an inquest into the soldier's suicide, the accused confessed to the offense of sexual assault in the autumn.

The grieving parent commented her young woman should have been present with her loved ones in court today, "to witness the person she filed against brought to justice for what he did."

"Instead, we appear without her, facing perpetual grief that no family should ever have to face," she added.

"She followed the rules, but the individuals in charge neglected their responsibilities. Those failures destroyed our daughter utterly."

PA

Court Proceedings

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

Webber, a Sergeant Major at the time, attempted physical intimacy towards Gunner Beck following an social gathering while on assignment for a military exercise.

The victim stated the accused stated he had been "seeking a chance for them to be in private" before grabbing her leg, pinning her down, and attempting to force intimacy.

She made official allegations against the accused following the violation, despite attempts by military leadership to convince her against reporting.

An inquest into her death found the armed forces' response of the complaint played "an important role in her death."

Parent's Account

In a account shared to the judicial body previously, Ms McCready, stated: "The young woman had recently celebrated a teenager and will eternally stay a young person full of vitality and joy."

"She believed individuals to protect her and post-incident, the trust was gone. She was very upset and scared of the accused."

"I observed the difference personally. She felt helpless and deceived. That violation destroyed her faith in the structure that was meant to safeguard her."

Sentencing Remarks

While delivering judgment, The presiding judge the judge remarked: "We must evaluate whether it can be addressed in an alternative approach. We are not convinced it can."

"We are satisfied the gravity of the offence means it can only be addressed by prison time."

He told the defendant: "She had the strength and intelligence to tell you to stop and instructed you to go to bed, but you carried on to the extent she felt she would remain in danger from you even if she returned to her assigned barracks."

He stated further: "The next morning, she made the complaint to her loved ones, her acquaintances and her chain of command."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the unit opted to address your behavior with minor administrative action."

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

"Your professional path proceeded completely unaffected and you were subsequently promoted to senior position."

Background Information

At the formal inquiry into Gunner Beck's death, the investigating officer said a commanding officer pressured her to withdraw the complaint, and just informed it to a military leadership "once details became known."

At the period, the sergeant was given a "light disciplinary meeting" with no additional penalties.

The inquiry was further advised that just weeks after the violation the soldier had additionally been exposed to "relentless harassment" by a different service member.

Bombardier Ryan Mason, her superior officer, sent her over four thousand six hundred digital communications confessing his feelings for her, along with a multi-page "romantic narrative" outlining his "fantasies about her."

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Official Statement

The Army said it offered its "sincerest condolences" to Gunner Beck and her family.

"We will always be sincerely regretful for the failings that were discovered at the formal investigation in February."

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