Teenage soldier was sexually assaulted by sergeant before her death, coroner concludes

The Guardian

20-02-2025

A teenage soldier was sexually assaulted by a senior colleague and subject to an onslaught of unwelcome sexual attention from her line manager in the months before she was found dead, a coroner has concluded.
Nicholas Rheinberg, assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, concluded that the way the army handled 19-year-old gunner Jaysley Beck's complaint about the alleged assault was handled 'played more than a contributory part in her death.'
The coroner said Beck was 'sufficiently terrified' by the alleged attack from Battery Sgt Maj Michael Webber, which she said included him putting his hands between her legs, that she fled from him and slept in her car.
Recording a conclusion of suicide, Rheinberg said: 'These were not reactions to a stolen kiss. On the balance of probabilities I find that Jaysley was sexually assaulted.'
The coroner criticised the way the incident was investigated, concluding it should have been reported to the police rather than being dealt with through a 'minor administrative action'.
Beck, from Cumbria, was found dead in her room at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021.
The coroner said Beck's line manager, Bombardier Ryan Mason, had sent her an 'onslaught' of 'inappropriate' messages in the autumn and winter of 2021 that 'clearly breached army codes of conduct'. He described Mason's declarations of unrequited love as 'disturbing' and said he had also threatened suicide if she rejected him.
Rheinberg said Beck had been put under 'constant pressure' by Mason and witnesses had said she was frightened by his behaviour, which she considered 'psychotic and possessive'.
He said: 'It is not difficult to imagine the extent of the adverse effect this must have had on Jaysley.' The coroner said that under army rules, Mason's actions amounted to 'unwelcome sexual attention' and 'harassment'.
She was reluctant to report him, fearing she would be seen as a serial complainer, the inquest heard.
Beck also had relationships with two senior soldiers, one an instructor who taught her at the army foundation college in North Yorkshire. At the time of her death she was also troubled over her relationship with a married man.
Serving and former soldiers told the inquest of a culture of women being harassed, propositioned and routinely targeted with misogynistic language. One witness said she had been propositioned by a sergeant when she was 17 and took to locking her door because she was frightened colleagues would walk in when she was in bed.
Appearing at the inquest, Brig Melissa Emmett, head of the army personnel services group, formally accepted that failures had been made in Beck's case. She said: 'We let her down in so many ways. We left Jaysley not aware of how she could raise her concerns and have the confidence to be listened to.'
Emmett said changes made since Beck's death included removing the chain of command from the complaints system and the introduction of anonymous hotlines. She said 'zero-tolerance policies' issued in 2022 'make it absolutely unequivocal what is expected of everybody'.
But as Beck's inquest took place, dozens of female soldiers shared experiences of abuse on the Fill Your Boots social media account, prompting the head of the army, Gen Sir Roly Walker, to express how 'disgusted' he was at what was still going on.
Emma Norton, the founder of the Centre for Military Justice and a lawyer for Beck's family, led calls for an independent body to investigate complaints from service personnel. She said: 'The service complaints process doesn't work.'
Ahmed Al-Nahhas, the head of military claims at the law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, said: 'Every time there is a heartbreaking story like this, the MoD rolls out the usual excuses. The MoD cannot be trusted to investigate sexual crime.'
Lisa Longstaff, of Women Against Rape, said: 'The reports from the inquest reveal a horrific pattern of sexual abuse of power by officers who are of a higher rank and also age. We've campaigned with women in the military for over a decade who describe a systemic problem of men given a green light to harass, bully and even rape their colleagues with impunity.'
The Child Rights International Network said: 'As long as the army continues to be a law unto themselves, cases like Jaysley's will continue to occur. The handling of complaints must be taken out of the hands of the army and there must be an urgent, full independent review of safeguarding mechanisms for the youngest recruits in the army and at the Army Foundation College in particular. Until that happens, the army will not be safe for young recruits.'
After Beck's death, Wiltshire police investigated Webber and Mason but took no action.