The late Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck | File Image
McCready: I stand here as a bereaved mother fighting for real change now, not hollow promises or recycled words that have already failed my daughter and continue to fail others
Court has finally jailed an ex-Army sergeant major for six months after sexually assaulting a 19-year-old soldier who later took her own life.
Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, pinned down Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck and tried to kiss her in July 2021.
She was found dead five months later in her barracks at Larkhill, Wiltshire.
Webber, who was sentenced at the Court Martial Centre in Wiltshire earlier, will be placed in a civilian prison and on the sex offenders register for seven years.
Gunner Beck’s mother Leighann Mcready said: “What he [Webber] did, and how the Army failed to protect our daughter afterwards, cost Jaysley her life.”
The Army said it did not listen to Gunner Beck, who was originally from Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she reported the assault and has apologised for its handling of her complaint.
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Following an inquest into Gunner Beck’s death, Webber pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault in September.
Ms McCready said her daughter should have been sitting with her family in court today, “to see the person she reported held accountable for what he did”.
“Instead, we stand here without her, living a life sentence that no family should ever have to face,” she added.
“She followed the rules, but those responsible didn’t follow theirs. Those failures destroyed our daughter completely. “
Speaking outside court after the sentencing, Ms McCready said the Army spoke about lessons learned but that she was “still waiting to see any real change”.
“I stand here as a bereaved mother fighting for real change now, not hollow promises or recycled words that have already failed my daughter and continue to fail others.
“Our soldiers deserve a system they can trust, one that protects them, believes them, and values their lives above its own reputation.
“We can’t bring our daughter back, but I’ll keep fighting to make sure her life leads to change that helps…. and hopefully saves others.”
The court was told that the incident took place during an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.
Webber, a Sergeant Major at the time, made a sexual advance towards Gunner Beck following an evening of drinking while on deployment for a training exercise.
Gunner Beck claimed Webber said he had been “waiting for a moment for them to be alone” before grabbing her leg, pinning her down, and trying to kiss her.
She filed a complaint against Webber following the incident, despite attempts by superiors to persuade her not to.
An inquest into her death found the Army’s handling of the complaint played “more than a minimal contributory part in her death”.
Following the inquest, Gunner Beck’s family asked Wiltshire Police to consider criminal proceedings against Webber and he was later charged with sexual assault.
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