Sergeant 'pinned down' teenage soldier, inquest told

Gunner Jaysley Beck stayed on the phone to a friend "all night" following the incident, out of concern for her own safety

A teenage soldier confided in a colleague that a senior sergeant had "pinned her down" and tried to kiss her, an inquest into her death has been told.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021 after a Christmas party.

An inquest into her death has heard that she had made a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, following an incident at a work social.

Lance Bombardier Kirsty Davis said Gunner Beck called her in the middle of the night "frightened and in tears", sleeping in her car out of fear he would come back.

Gunner Beck was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp 10 days before Christmas

The incident in question occurred at an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.

According to Captain James Hook, who led the event, it was an opportunity to "rebuild relationships" after Covid-19 restrictions had eased.

"The idea was to work in an informal, relaxed environment, get to know each other better and return to our usual day jobs a little bit closer as a team," he told the inquest.

The gathering extended into the early hours of the morning, until Gunner Beck, originally from Oxen Park in Cumbria, and Mr Webber were left drinking together alone.

That night, Lance Bombardier Davis told the inquest that she was on a "sleeping guard" at an airfield elsewhere, and had 20 missed calls from Gunner Beck before she spoke to her.

Colleagues described Gunner Beck as having a "bubbly personality that really shone through"

Once on the phone, she said Gunner Beck revealed that "something happened that night, they were all having a few drinks, and someone tried it on with her".

"He was trying to kiss her and she was trying to push him away, but he was pinning her down," she said.

"Jaysley had told him no, tried to get away from him but he had persisted so she left."

She added that Gunner Beck told her he had "tried to force himself on her more than once, a few times".

"Jaysley was in tears, she was upset. I think she was just frightened at what was going on."

She said Gunner Beck did not want her to end the phone call, which lasted "all night".

She added: "I think she was afraid he was going to come to the car."

'Rumours and backlash'

Giving evidence at the inquest, Lance Corporal Drew Tudor said he found Gunner Beck sleeping in her car the next morning after trying to rouse his colleagues for a training day.

"Straight away I knew that something was up. She turned around and burst into tears, she was clearly in distress," he said.

"Jaysley confided in me that Michael Webber had done something to her, touched her or tried to touch her, instigating something.

"I told her we need to say something because it's not right, which she wasn't overly keen on."

Lance Bombardier Davis explained that Gunner Beck "didn't want to be seen as the wrongdoer", and feared she would receive "backlash" if he lost his job as a result.

"When you're in the army and you're friends with a male, there's already all these rumours," she said.

"But when you're a female, the littlest things blow up. They would have thought she was a liar. There would have been hate towards her."

Gunner Beck (front) was "proud to be a soldier", her family said

Giving evidence at the inquest, Colonel Samantha Shepherd said after hearing about the incident, she sought advice from an internal disciplinary expert.

Mr Webber, who is now at Warrant Officer 2 rank, subsequently received a minor sanction on his record and wrote a letter of apology to Gunner Beck - which ended by saying his "door was open" for her.

The inquest was told that this mark on his record would have been wiped when he was posted elsewhere.

"I didn't see it as sexual assault. I saw it as unwelcome attention, inappropriate contact," Col Shephard told the inquest.

"I know now that it constitutes a sexual assault, but I didn't know it at the time."

Army policy states that any offence which has a sexual element should be reported to Royal Military Police for a formal investigation, but Colonel Shephard said she took a more "victim-led" approach.

'Degree of control'

"I was conscious that I wanted Jaysley to feel that this wasn't being done unto her, that she was part of the process and had a degree of control over the outcome," she explained.

Col Shephard added that she "wholeheartedly believed" the discreet outcome was "what Gunner Beck wanted" at the time.

An Army service inquiry report published in October 2023 said this was "possibly a factor that may have influenced her failure to report other events that happened subsequently".

The inquest has also heard that Gunner Beck received thousands of messages from another senior colleague, Bombardier Ryan Mason, whom she described as being "psychotic and possessive".

It detailed three more "contributory factors" to her death - including the "significant strain" of a sexual relationship with a married colleague in the last few weeks of her life; a relationship that ended in November 2021 which involved "repeated allegations of unfaithfulness on the part of the boyfriend"; and an "unhealthy approach to alcohol, with episodes of binge-drinking".

The hearing continues.