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Two serving officers in the British Army are set to face court martial proceedings related to their management of a sexual assault case involving Gunner Jaysley Beck, a teenage soldier who later died by suicide. Beck, aged 19, was discovered dead at Larkhill barracks in Wiltshire in 2021 after reporting that she had been sexually assaulted.
Previously, in October, Michael Webber, a former Battery Sergeant, was sentenced to six months in prison for sexual assault. An inquest into Beck’s death concluded that the Army’s handling of her complaint had significantly contributed to her decision to take her own life. Subsequently, the Army issued a formal apology, expressing deep regret for the shortcomings highlighted during the inquest.
The Service Prosecution Authority has brought charges against two officers within Beck’s chain of command. BBC sources have identified them as Major James Hook and Colonel Sarah Shepherd, both of whom were informed of Beck’s allegations prior to her death. Following the inquest, Beck’s family reached out to General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the Army, urging for further disciplinary action against the officers involved.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that, after an investigation conducted by the Defence Serious Crime Command, two individuals have been charged under Section 19 of the Armed Forces Act relating to conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline. The MoD stated it is inappropriate to provide further comments while legal proceedings are underway. Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, expressed relief at the developments, saying, “more than 4 years on from the loss of our daughter we are very relieved to have finally got to this point.” The Ministry of Defence has also established a serious crime command and initiated a taskforce focused on violence against women and girls. More recently, it has agreed in principle to remove the responsibility for handling serious complaints from the individual services
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