Ex-soldier describes Army's 'misogynistic culture'

Gunner Beck did not report inappropriate behaviour from her superiors due to a culture of misogyny and fear of backlash, an inquest heard

A friend of a female soldier has told an inquest into her death that women in the Army are often subjected to "humiliating" comments and "vicious gossip" from male colleagues.

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

Tamzin Hort, who has since left the Army, said female soldiers receive "unwanted attention" from men, and are branded with sexist slurs if they refuse advances.

The inquest has heard how Gunner Beck had been subjected to relentless harassment by her line manager and had been "pinned down" by a sergeant who tried to kiss her.

Gunner Beck (unblurred) said life in the Army would "be so different if [she] was a lad"

Ms Hort told the court she recognised this inappropriate and predatory behaviour from her own experience in the Army.

"I was with my partner for three years but as the only girl in my battery, I got a lot of unwanted attention from a lot of the lads - especially if they'd had a drink," she said.

"I couldn't walk out of my block without getting nasty comments."

The former soldier said women were frequently called degrading and "disgusting" names, which would eventually add up.

"I put on weight due to my relationship and things going wrong," she said.

"I would go to work every morning and get called fat by my training instructor.

"He would say 'look at you, you are fat, are you pregnant?' You are just sat there humiliated.

"If you're told enough times, that affects you. It makes you feel very low."

Colleagues found Gunner Beck dead in her barracks after no one had heard from her all day

Ms Hort said she soon began locking her bedroom door because people would knock on it late at night, and she grew concerned they would let themselves in while she was sleeping.

She described one incident, aged 17, in which she returned home from the pub only to find a sergeant outside her room holding a condom.

"You can imagine how scared I was. It happens to every female, not just in 47 Regiment."

She added she did not report the incident because on one occasion, when she received therapy through the Army welfare services, "somehow everyone knew about it".

Male colleagues would make unsolicited comments about Gunner Beck's appearance, the inquest was told

Ms Hort said although Gunner Beck had never personally confided in her about any similar incidents of sexual harassment, she had overheard plenty.

"She was beautiful, she was going to get comments, but she shouldn't have had to.

"They would all make disgusting comments like 'I would do this to her'.

"You can't react to it because it makes it worse, and they would do it even more."

The nine-day hearing, 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.

Gunner Beck's ex-boyfriend, George Higgins, said Mr Mason had also shown her a 15-page "love story" he had written, detailing his "fantasies about her".

Mr Mason told the court he "couldn't remember" Gunner Beck asking him to back off

In a WhatsApp message, Gunner Beck revealed she felt "genuinely trapped" by his behaviour, which had taken a "huge toll" on her mental health.

She wrote: "I'm trying to be there for you as a friend but it completely crossed the line of that a long time ago. I feel so uncomfortable."

Lance Bombardier Jones, a close friend of Gunner Beck's, told the inquest on Thursday that she never reported this behaviour out of fear it would damage her reputation.

He explained that "she didn't want be seen as a serial accuser" after making a previous complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber a few months prior, following an attempted sexual advance at a work social.

In a text message to a friend, she wrote: "I haven't done anything wrong, I know that, but it looks [bad] on me. I'm so pissed off with this situation now.

"I'm the only female, so people will begin to think 'oh she's making her way round everyone'. It would be so different if I was a lad."

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".

It also detailed three additional "contributory factors" to her death:

• 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".

• An "unhealthy approach to alcohol, with episodes of binge-drinking".

The hearing continues.