Death of soldier must act as 'wake-up call'

A coroner ruled the Army failed to protect Gunner Jaysley Beck from sexual harassment

The death of a teenage soldier must act as a "wake-up call" to improve "unacceptable" behaviour within the armed forces, according to a defence minister.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was found hanged in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021 following a work 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 - had contributed to her suicide.

Labour frontbencher Luke Pollard encouraged MPs to support legislation to introduce a new military welfare watchdog to independently investigate complaints.

Colleagues described Gunner Beck as "outgoing, lively, confident and inspiring"

The nine-day inquest into her death, which began at Salisbury Coroner's Court on 10 February, heard how Gunner Beck had repeatedly tried to establish boundaries with her male colleagues but her efforts were ignored.

In the two months leading up to her death, Bombardier Ryan Mason sent the 19-year-old more than 4,600 messages confessing his feelings for her.

During a separate incident in July 2021, Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber allegedly "pinned her down" at a work social and tried to kiss her.

When Gunner Beck reported the unwelcome advance from her superior, the complaint was handled by someone who knew the perpetrator, her mother said.

Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg ruled the incident "should have been reported to police and the failure to do so breached Army policy".

Gunner Beck revealed she felt "genuinely trapped" by the unwanted attention from her male colleagues

Under the terms of the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill, the independent watchdog would have the power to hear directly from service personnel and family members on the concerns connected with their service.

The commissioner would also have the power to demand access to information and service premises to facilitate investigations, and conduct unannounced visits in the UK.

Mr Pollard said the legislation would be an opportunity for the defence sector to "properly learn the lessons" following the preventable tragedy.

"It really needs to be a wake-up call to recognise that the behaviour within some of our services is unacceptable and we need to make improvements," he said.

Mr Pollard urged MPs to back the legislation, designed to introduce a new military welfare watchdog

"It's for that very reason that we need to continue supporting the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill because it enables family members, as well as those people serving in uniform, to raise genuine service welfare complaints with the commissioner.

"This won't solve every problem in our armed forces in terms of culture, but it helps support a route for individuals to raise concerns outside the chain of command."

'Zero tolerance'

Labour Defence Secretary John Healey told the BBC he has remained "determined since day one" to protect those who serve.

"The Army badly let Jaysley Beck down, and my heart goes out to her family still, after all this time," he said.

"We will have zero tolerance as a government, reflected now in the way that the senior military leadership are responding, to make sure we can stamp out that sort of behaviour and support those in our ranks.

"I really wish, from the bottom of my heart, that we never have another Jaysley Beck case again."

The Bill will now return to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

If you or someone you know has been affected by the details raised in this story, advice on where to find help and support can be found at BBC Action Line.