The Army’s handling of a soldier’s sexual assault complaint played a role in her death, a coroner has said.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead in her room at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021.
An inquest today recorded a conclusion of suicide “after a prolonged period of stress after harassment by her line management and problems with a relationship”.
Salisbury Coroners’ Court heard Gunner Beck had previously made a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, then 39.
She said he had grabbed her leg and tried to kiss her after a drinking game during a team-building stay on Thorney Island, Hampshire, in July 2021.
Gunner Beck, who joined the Army at 16, had been left scared and ended up sleeping in her car for safety, the hearing was told.
Mr Webber was given a “minor sanction” and wrote a letter of apology, but was later promoted to Warrant Officer Class 1, the most senior non-commissioned soldier rank.
The court also heard Gunner Beck received thousands of messages from her line manager Ryan Mason in the months leading up to her death.
He also wrote a 14-page document detailing his “feelings towards Jaysley” and paid for hotel rooms next to each other during a work trip a week before she died, the inquest heard.
The Army said Mr Mason’s actions amounted to “unwelcome sexual attention” and “harassment”, the coroner said.
Staff Sergeant Cory Budd, who said he had been in an intimate relationship with Gunner Beck at the time of her death while he was married, found her body after becoming concerned when he didn’t hear from her.
Police concluded there was no third-party involvement, said Wiltshire Police Detective Inspector Eirin Martin.
She told the coroner an investigation found the evidence didn’t support a harassment case against Mr Mason, who is now a driving instructor.
Gunner Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, attended the inquest with her partner and daughter. The family placed photos of her on the table in front of them.
She said in tribute: “Jayse was the very heart of our family. The loss we feel is beyond words, there’s a void that can’t be filled, our hearts will be forever broken but the light will never fade.
“She leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, strength that will continue to guide us.”
‘It’s weighing me down’
Ms McCready said her daughter “did not feel safe” as the situation involving Mr Mason intensified, with him sending 3,600 messages in November 2021.
In one reply, Gunner Beck wrote: “This whole falling in love with me… it’s 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.”
An Army service inquiry report published in October 2023 described “an intense period of unwelcome behaviour”, and said it was “almost certain this was a causal factor” in the 19-year-old’s death.
The inquest also heard Gunner Beck had been too afraid to return to her room after the alleged assault by WO Webber and was left “crying”, locking herself in her car overnight before making a complaint to her superiors in the morning.
A colleague said she was “frightened and in tears” when she phoned her in the middle of the night after she claimed he had been “waiting for a moment for them to be alone”, then “pinned” her down and tried to kiss her.
‘Angered’ by apology letter
Ms McCready said her daughter had been angered by WO Webber’s apology letter, which ended by saying his “door was open” for her.
The Army report said this was “possibly a factor that may have influenced her failure to report other events that happened subsequently”.
It also highlighted family issues, including bereavement, as playing a part in Gunner Beck’s death, which her family rejected.
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The report outlined three “contributory factors” to Gunner Beck’s death, including:
Assistant Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg warned witnesses they did not have to answer questions that could incriminate themselves.
WO Webber and Mr Mason declined to answer a number of questions relating to their alleged behaviour towards Gunner Beck.
George Higgins, a former sergeant who has since left the Army, also declined to answer questions about whether his relationship with Gunner Beck had begun when she was a recruit in Harrogate.
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Army admits: ‘We should have done more’
Brigadier Melissa Emmett, head of the army personnel services group, said it formally accepts failures were made.
“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,” she said.
“On a personal level, listening to the doubt and the fear that she had, the good encouragement of her friends to report, but the lack of confidence that they had in reporting, and the well-meaning but erroneous actions of the chain of command, I have found personally very grieving.
“We could have, and we should have, done more.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
