A SOLDIER who took her own life after “sexual harassment” from her boss was also pinned down by a senior officer who tried to kiss her, an inquest heard.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was discovered dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was discovered dead in 2021
PAShe had allegedly been pinned down by a senior colleague[/caption]
The 19-year-old was subjected to an “intense period of unwelcome behaviour” from Bombardier Ryan Mason, an inquest heard.
A service inquiry report published in October 2023 found this was almost certainly a “casual factor” in Jaysley’s death.
The court heard today how Jaysley was also allegedly targeted by another senior colleaguer, Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber.
She called her pal, Lance Bombardier Kirsty Davis, in the early hours of July 2021 after staying at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, for a training exercise.
Lance Bombardier Davis said Jaysley told her that “something happened that night, they were all having a few drinks, someone tried it on with her”.
She said that the officer “was trying to kiss her and she was trying to push him away, he was pinning her down”.
The inquest heard Jaysley had called Lance Bombardier Davis from her car and that Webber had “tried to force himself on her more than once”.
Lance Bombardier Davis said: “I do not know if he actually kissed her or tried to, I do not remember if Jaysley said he had touched her or not.
“Jaysley was in tears, she was upset. I think she was just frightened at what was going on and she was crying, just a little bit.”
The court heard that Webber, who is now at Warrant Officer 2 rank, was made subject to a “minor sanction” after Jaysley made a complaint and he wrote a letter of apology to her.
Lance Bombardier Davis told the hearing that Jaysley did not want to take the matter further so “nothing would happen to him or his job as she didn’t want to suffer any backlash from it”.
She added: “Jaysley wasn’t happy with what had happened but if you are in the Army and a lower rank no-one will believe you, especially against a higher rank.
“She didn’t want to get into trouble or cause a drama.”
The Army service inquiry report said the incident was “possibly a factor that may have influenced her failure to report other events that happened subsequently”.
The inquest heard yesterday how Jaysley received thousands of messages from Bombardier Ryan Mason, who she described as being “psychotic and possessive”.
In November alone – the month before Jaysley’s death – she received 3,600 messages from her senior colleague.
In one, he told her: “You’re amazing Jayse, I appreciate you so much, I love everything about you, even your flaws.
“I will always be there along for the ride with you, I have said it before but you’re stuck with me forever now. I love you x As a friend, I love you.”
On November 25, Jaysley told Mason: “This whole falling in love with me, its becoming a bit too much, I have just come out of a relationship and I’m just not wanting to be involved in anything like this.
“It’s weighing me down a little bit, I’ll be totally honest with you.”
She added: “Totally honest here, I just don’t want to hear how you feel about me.”
In another message, Jaysley wrote that she feared Mason was watching her.
She said: “When you said you seen me leave camp I was a bit taken back like are you watching me when you say things like ‘You’re there’ it’s just weird and the whole thing is just bizarre.”
‘CREEP’ FEARS
In another message sent 11 days before she died, Jaysley told Mason: “It’s snapping me, I have replied to you and in the space of a couple of minutes you sent three texts and tried to phone me.
“Can you understand why I think it’s a bit too much?”
Jaysley’s mum Leighann McCready told the court her daughter felt that Mason was “overstepping the mark of her friendliness” and was becoming a “creep”.
The mum said Jaysley called her on December 7 “upset and crying” as she worried that her boss had hacked her phone and was listening to her conversations.
The Army report outlined three “contributory factors” to Jaysley’s death – including the “significant strain” of a sexual relationship with a married colleague in the last few weeks of her life.
It also said that family issues, including a bereavement, were possibly a factor, as well as the breakdown of a relationship in November 2021.
The third mentioned an “unhealthy approach to alcohol, with episodes of binge drinking”.
It added that Jaysley had no diagnosed mental health conditions and had not sought welfare support from anyone in the Army.
The inquest continues.
Jaysley had called her colleague in tears after the alleged assault
SolentShe was also subjected to an “intense period of unwelcome behaviour” from another colleague[/caption]
SolentMum Leighann McCready told the court Jaysley found the behaviour ‘psychotic’[/caption]
FacebookShe feared her boss Bombardier Ryan Mason had hacked her phone[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
