BBC News, Wiltshire
Family HandoutThe death of a soldier left terrified after being sexually assaulted by her superior was, in part, caused by the British Army’s handling of her complaint, a coroner says.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found hanged in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021 after a Christmas party.
Gunner Beck had filed a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber after he “pinned her down” and tried to kiss her at a work social.
On Thursday, Assistant Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg ruled she died by suicide, and determined the Army’s handling of the complaint played “more than a minimal contributory part in her death”.
The inquest was told the 19-year-old, originally from Oxen Park in Cumbria, had also been subjected to relentless harassment from her line manager, Bombardier Ryan Mason.
Mr Mason sent Gunner Beck more than 4,600 messages confessing his feelings for her, and showed her a 15-page “love story” he had written, detailing his “fantasies about her”.
The incident in question occurred at an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.
The work gathering extended into the early hours of the morning until Gunner Beck and Mr Webber were left drinking together alone.
Gunner Beck claimed Mr Webber told her he had been “waiting for a moment for them to be alone”, and had engaged her in a drinking game called Last Man Standing before grabbing her leg and trying to kiss her.
Shortly after, Gunner Beck called her friend Lance Bombardier Kirsty Davis, “frightened and in tears” because “someone tried it on with her”, the inquest was told.
She had hidden in a toilet cubicle with her feet up, before spending the remainder of the night in her car on the phone to Ms Davis out of fear he would find her.
Family HandoutThe following morning, Gunner Beck reported the incident to Captain James Hook, who said he believed she was “generating an excuse” to leave Thorney Island.
The coroner said Captain Hook put pressure on her to drop the allegations, and only reported it to higher command “when the cat was already out of the bag”.
“Hook made the clear the career ramifications [for Mr Webber], and pointed out there were no witnesses,” Mr Rheinberg said.
The inquest heard a subsequent “miscommunication” through the chain of command meant details concerning Mr Webber’s attempt to touch Gunner Beck’s leg were lost.
The incident therefore fell into minor sanction territory and required no formal investigation.
It was ultimately recorded as ‘inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a warrant officer’ and would have been wiped from his record when he was posted elsewhere.
“It was not clear how this important component was left out of the mix,” the coroner added.
Summing up the inquest, Mr Rheinberg said “on the balance of probabilities” Gunner Beck was sexually assaulted by Mr Webber, and it “should have been reported to police and the failure to do so breached Army policy”.
Family HandoutThe inquest heard the 19-year-old had also been subjected to “relentless and intolerable” harassment from Mr Mason.
Gunner Beck tried to support him through his mental health issues, but he grew “possessive and jealous”, manipulating her into staying close with threats of suicide.
Mr Mason sent 1,000 messages to Gunner Beck in October 2021 and 3,600 in November.
In a message to him, she said: “I genuinely feel trapped in this whole situation.
“I’m trying to be there for you as a friend but it completely crossed the line of that a long time ago. I feel so uncomfortable. The truth is, I’m struggling to deal with all this.”
Mr Mason’s behaviour reached a climax point while on a training exercise in Newbury on 7 December.
Her ex-boyfriend, George Higgins, said Gunner Beck was initially told there would be no accommodation at the event, but Mr Mason then said they had hotel rooms.
He described how Gunner Beck questioned the situation when her room was situated next to Mr Mason’s but the other soldier was not in the same area.
Mr Higgins said: “She thought it was bizarre. He was being really weird about it.
“She decided to go down and question reception on the booking. It turned out he had booked the rooms and paid for them himself.”
Solent NewsMr Rheinberg said: “It’s difficult to imagine the extent of the adverse effect that this must have had on Jaysley, a very young woman with problems of her own.
“Jaysley described the bombardier’s conduct as creepy and ultimately as frightening.
“Rightly or wrongly she felt he was tracking her by her phone, the bombardier denied this.
“I think this unlikely, however, his relentless pursuit of Jaysley made the possibility very real for her.”
Mr Rheinberg concluded: “I find there was a failure on behalf of army to take action over the harassment she was suffering from her line manager.
“And there was a failure on behalf of the army to take action against the senior officer at whose hands she’d suffered a sexual assault.”
The coroner said despite toxicology tests showing Gunner Beck was three times over legal drink drive limit at the time of her death, he believed she had intended to take her own life.
He said: “My conclusion is she died by suicide. I am satisfied Jaysley undertook the physical actions that resulted in her death by hanging, the inevitable consequences must have been known to Jaysley despite the level of alcohol she had consumed.
“I am satisfied she intended to die.”
The inquest previously heard from Brigadier Melissa Emmett, head of the Army personnel services group, who said it formally accepted failures were made.
She said: “We let her down in so many ways for which we have already apologised, and if I can apologise again, for what it’s worth, I would do.
“We could have, and we should have, done more.”
Speaking following the inquest’s conclusion, Jaysley Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, said: “Jaysley was so much more than a soldier – she was our daughter, a sister to Emily and a friend to so many.
“She was kind, caring and truly loved by everyone who knew her. She was full of life, bright and absolutely fantastic at her job.
“The army itself has said exactly the kind of person they wanted to join – she should still be here.”
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