Former Sergeant Major Jailed for Sexual Offense on Young Servicewoman

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A former military sergeant has been given half a year in prison for attacking a teenage servicewoman who afterwards took her own life.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber, in his forties, pinned down Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck and tried to make physical contact in mid-2021. She was found dead several months after in her military accommodation at the Wiltshire base.

Webber, who was sentenced at the military court in Wiltshire recently, will be placed in a correctional facility and registered as offender database for seven years.

The family matriarch Leighann Mcready remarked: "The assault, and how the armed forces did not safeguard our child subsequently, 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 disclosed the incident and has apologised for its response to her allegations.

After an inquest into the soldier's suicide, the defendant confessed to the offense of physical violation in the autumn.

Ms McCready commented her daughter should have been present with her relatives in court today, "to observe the man she accused held accountable for the assault."

"Instead, we stand here without her, enduring endless sorrow that no loved ones should ever have to face," she added.

"She complied with procedures, but those responsible didn't follow theirs. Such negligence destroyed our daughter totally."

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Court Proceedings

The judicial body was advised that the assault happened during an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island, near Hampshire's Emsworth, in July 2021.

Webber, a senior officer at the period, initiated inappropriate contact towards the soldier after an social gathering while on assignment for a training exercise.

Gunner Beck testified Webber remarked he had been "anticipating an opportunity for them to be by themselves" before making physical contact, pinning her down, and making unwanted advances.

She made official allegations against Webber following the assault, notwithstanding efforts by military leadership to discourage her.

An official inquiry into her passing found the military's management of the allegations played "an important contributory part in her demise."

Mother's Testimony

In a testimony read out to the court earlier, the mother, said: "Our daughter had just turned a teenager and will forever remain a young person full of energy and happiness."

"She believed individuals to protect her and after what he did, the faith was lost. She was deeply distressed and fearful of the sergeant."

"I witnessed the change personally. She felt helpless and deceived. That incident broke her trust in the system that was meant to look after her."

Judge's Statement

When announcing the verdict, The presiding judge the magistrate stated: "We must evaluate whether it can be addressed in another way. We do not consider it can."

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

He addressed the defendant: "The servicewoman had the strength and intelligence to demand you halt and told you to leave the area, but you persisted to the extent she considered she would remain in danger from you even when she returned to her own accommodation."

He stated further: "The following day, she disclosed the assault to her loved ones, her friends and her commanding officers."

"After the complaint, the unit chose to address your behavior with minimal consequences."

"You were subject to inquiry and you accepted your conduct had been inappropriate. You wrote a letter of apology."

"Your military service continued completely unaffected and you were in due course elevated to senior position."

Further Details

At the formal inquiry into Gunner Beck's death, the official examiner said Capt James Hook put pressure on her to cease proceedings, and only reported it to a superior officers "when the cat was already out of the bag."

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

The inquiry was further advised that just weeks after the violation Gunner Beck had also been exposed to "continuous bullying" by a separate individual.

A separate service member, her superior officer, directed toward her over four thousand six hundred digital communications declaring attachments for her, accompanied by a fifteen-page "personal account" describing his "imagined scenarios."

Family handout

Official Statement

The Army stated it provided its "heartfelt apologies" to Gunner Beck and her family.

"We will always be sincerely regretful for the shortcomings that were discovered at Jaysley's inquest in winter."

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