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An ex- Army sergeant major has been ordered to serve half a year in custody for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old soldier who later took her own life.

Warrant Officer the former sergeant, 43, held down Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck and attempted to kiss her in mid-2021. She was located without signs of life several months after in her barracks at Larkhill military installation.

Webber, who was sentenced at the military court in Wiltshire previously, will be transferred to a public jail and listed on offender database for seven years.

Gunner Beck's mother Leighann Mcready remarked: "What he [Webber] did, and how the military failed to protect our child afterwards, resulted in her suicide."

Army Statement

The Army acknowledged it ignored Gunner Beck, who was originally from Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she filed the complaint and has said sorry for its management of her report.

Subsequent to an inquest into the tragic death, the defendant admitted to one count of unwanted sexual advance in last fall.

The grieving parent stated her young woman could have been alongside her relatives in court now, "to witness the individual she reported facing consequences for the assault."

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

"She adhered to protocols, but the individuals in charge neglected their responsibilities. Such negligence destroyed our daughter totally."

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Court Proceedings

The judicial body was informed that the assault took place during an field exercise at Thorney Island, near the Hampshire area, in summer 2021.

Webber, a senior officer at the moment, attempted physical intimacy towards the servicewoman subsequent to an social gathering while on deployment for a military exercise.

Gunner Beck claimed Webber stated he had been "seeking a chance for them to be in private" before making physical contact, pinning her down, and making unwanted advances.

She made official allegations against the sergeant following the incident, regardless of pressure by military leadership to persuade her not to.

An inquest into her suicide found the Army's handling of the allegations played "more than a minimal contributory part in her death."

Parent's Account

In a account presented to the court during proceedings, Ms McCready, expressed: "Our daughter had only become nineteen and will forever remain a teenager full of life and laughter."

"She trusted authorities to safeguard her and after what he did, the trust was shattered. She was very upset and fearful of the accused."

"I saw the difference personally. She felt powerless and betrayed. That assault broke her trust in the set-up that was intended to protect her."

Sentencing Remarks

When announcing the verdict, The judicial officer the magistrate stated: "We need to assess whether it can be dealt with in an alternative approach. We are not convinced it can."

"We conclude the seriousness of the offence means it can only be addressed by prison time."

He told the defendant: "The victim had the strength and intelligence to demand you halt and told you to go to bed, but you carried on to the extent she considered she could not feel secure from you despite the fact she returned to her own accommodation."

He stated further: "The following day, she made the complaint to her loved ones, her companions and her chain of command."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the unit opted to address your behavior with minimal consequences."

"You were interviewed and you admitted your behavior had been improper. You prepared a letter of apology."

"Your career advanced completely unaffected and you were subsequently advanced to senior position."

Additional Context

At the inquest into the tragic passing, the coroner said military leadership put pressure on her to withdraw the complaint, and just informed it to a higher command "once details became known."

At the period, Webber was given a "minor administrative action interview" with no serious repercussions.

The inquiry was additionally informed that mere weeks after the violation Gunner Beck had also been facing "relentless harassment" by a different service member.

A separate service member, her line manager, directed toward her over four thousand six hundred SMS communications confessing his feelings for her, accompanied by a fifteen-page "love story" detailing his "fantasies about her."

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Official Statement

The military leadership stated it offered its "deepest sympathies" to Gunner Beck and her relatives.

"We continue to be deeply apologetic for the shortcomings that were discovered at the formal investigation in early this year."

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