Latest news with #LeighannMcCready
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Jaysley Beck's mum: 'My daughter being silenced helps others find voice'
The mother of a soldier who took her own life after being sexually assaulted in the Army says other survivors have come to her with "heartbreaking" Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021 after a Christmas party.A coroner ruled the Army's failure to take action - after Gunner Beck was harassed by her line manager and sexually assaulted by another colleague - contributed to her McCready said: "Jaysley's voice being silenced has given others the strength to find theirs. That means everything to us." The coroner said the fact the soldier had also been sexually assaulted by another senior colleague, and the Army's failure to take appropriate action, "more than minimally" contributed to Ms Beck's death."It's been very difficult since the inquest," Ms McCready told Stephanie Finnon from BBC Radio Cumbria. Brig Melissa Emmett, head of the Army personnel services group, formally accepted failures were made and previously apologised to Gunner Beck's grieving said "significant changes" had been made within the Army, including the "introduction of clear and unequivocal policies to state that there will be zero tolerance to unacceptable sexual behaviours".But Ms McCready said the apology was not issued personally to her, but she "heard the words on Sky News"."It still doesn't resonate with me. "I thought we'd hear more in regards to the outcome but what I can say that there is a lot more going on in the background, which for legal reasons, I'm not allowed to disclose. "To have faced the abuser, and for him to just say 'no comment, no comment' throughout was difficult for us to listen to a family," Ms McCready, who is from Oxen Park, continued. "It proved what we said from day one. We said it wasn't right, we weren't listened to and it's taken four years for them to say 'we've failed Jaysley Beck'."The Army are trying to make changes, very much too late in all honesty. "The service personnel are still feeling let down by the system in the Army." Ms McCready said since her daughter's story had been shared, "so many people have reached out to us and shared their experience of sexual harassment and assault... it's really heartbreaking. "Jaysley's voice being silenced has given others the strength to find theirs."That means everything to us. "We take comfort in knowing that through her, others are being to speak up and feel seen." Ms McCready and 24 of her daughter's friends and family were raising money for the Centre for Military Justice, she said the group was doing a sky dive "as a stand against the silence that cost my daughter her life"."We won't stop until changes happen," she added. "If my 19-year-old daughter - who was in constant contact with us - was saying there was nowhere else to turn because within the Army you had to go through your chain of command. "We're trying to make changes so the Army cannot mark its own homework." If you've been affected by any of the issues in this story you can find help and support via BBC Action Line here. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Sky News
19-03-2025
- Sky News
Jaysley Beck: Mother of soldier who took her own life says she has 'sleepless nights' knowing there are still abusers in the Army
The mother of a young soldier who took her own life says she has "sleepless nights" knowing there are abusers still serving in the Army. A coroner ruled that the Army's failure to take action after 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was sexually assaulted by a more senior soldier and harassed by her line manager contributed to her death at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in 2021. One of the men has since left the Army but the other continues to serve. Jaysley Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, believes he has been protected by the Army. "Why should they continue to carry on serving when we're left absolutely heartbroken? We have to deal with this for the rest of our lives and it's not fair. It's absolutely not fair that no action's been taken." Reacting to the announcement that claims of sexual harassment in the Army will be removed from the chain of command and instead dealt with by a new, specialist taskforce, Ms McCready said it was a "step in the right direction" but added that "it should have happened a long time ago". One former soldier described how, after reporting an alleged rape, she discovered the officers dealing with her case had called her a whore. 0:57 Ms McCready praised the hundreds of servicewomen who have spoken out since her daughter's death and urged the Army to root out their abusers. "This causes me sleepless nights to know that they're still serving. It's heartbreaking. It's absolutely heartbreaking to think this is still going on. "All I want now is for action, for real action to be taken and to continue with the change and continue speaking up". A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said "the Army and MoD have undertaken to carefully analyse and assess all of HM Coroner's findings into the tragic death of Gunner Jaysley-Louise Beck. "There is no place for bullying, harassment, or discrimination in the military. This government is totally committed to making the reforms that are needed to stamp out inappropriate behaviour and hold people to account." On Tuesday the head of the Army, General Sir Roly Walker, told MPs "I absolutely recognise that we still have work to do. There are some recurring themes which we are addressing. Self-evidently, there continues to be a prevalence of bullying, harassment, and discrimination within our ranks. "We have to recognise that there are some cultural and structural barriers still."
