A FORMER Army sergeant has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage soldier who then took her own life.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill in Wiltshire on 15 December, 2021, after filing a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber.
PARoyal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, took her own life after being sexually assaulted by Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber[/caption]
PAThe teenager had filed a complaint about Webber’s behaviour but it was not escalated to police[/caption]
She was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021PA
She had accused Webber of pinning her down and trying to kiss her at a work social event, claims he has now admitted to.
An inquest into Jaysley’s death earlier this year found the Army’s handling of the complaint had played “more than a minimal contributory part in her death”.
Webber – who has since left the Army – pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault at a pre-trial hearing on Friday and now awaits his sentencing.
In a statement, Jaysley’s mum Leighann McCready said: “We are relieved that Michael Webber has admitted his guilt and not put us through the trauma of yet more legal proceedings, but nothing can undo the devastating loss of our beautiful daughter Jaysley.”
The gunner had reported the assault despite attempts by her superiors to persuade her not to.
Leighann said her daughter had done “everything right”, reporting the assault “immediately, not once but twice”.
She said the Army’s chain of command had failed her daughter by not reporting the sexual assault to the police, adding: “If they had done that one simple thing, we believe with all our hearts she would still be with us today.”
The inquest into her death heard Captain James Hook had put pressure on Jaysley to drop the allegations, only reporting it to a higher command once the “cat was already out of the bag”.
There was also a subsequent “miscommunication” through the chain of command, meaning details of Webber’s attempt to place his hand between Jaysley’s legs were lost, the inquest heard.
Instead of the teenage gunner’s claims being reported to the police, it was instead recorded as “inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a warrant officer”.
Webber was given just a “minor administrative action interview” at the time, with no further consequences.
Adding to her stress in the Army, the inquest heard that Jaysley was subjected to “relentless harassment” by another soldier just weeks after being assaulted.
Bombardier Ryan Mason – her line manager – sent her more than 4,600 text messages in which he confessed his feelings for her.
Mason also sent a 15-page “love story” in which he detailed his “fantasies” about the teenager.
ARMY ‘COULD HAVE AND SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE’
Following the inquest in February, Jaysley’s family asked Wiltshire Police to consider criminal proceedings against Webber.
Cops then passed a file to the Service Prosecuting Authority in June, who later confirmed Webber would be charged with the offence of sexual assault.
The Army has apologised in the past to Jaysley’s family for “letting her down”, saying after the inquest: “We could have, and should have done more.”
It says it has now introduced clear and unequivocal policies to state there will be “zero tolerance to unacceptable sexual behaviours”.
Emma Norton, the solicitor acting on behalf of Jaysley’s family, said it was an enormous relief that the man who had sexually assaulted her had now pleaded guilty.
But she added: “What an enormous difference it would have made if the Army and its chain of command had just listened to Jaysley when she first told them about the assault and reported it to the police, instead of trying to persuade her it wasn’t that serious.”
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