Soldier complained of 'psychotic' boss before her death

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck told her boss his behaviour was "weighing [her] down" in the months before her death

A teenage soldier complained about her "psychotic and possessive" boss shortly before her death, an inquest has been told.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021, following an "intense period of unwelcome behaviour" from Bombardier Ryan Mason.

Gunner Beck's mother told the first day of the inquest into her death that she "did not feel safe" at work.

An Army report published in October 2023 said it was "almost certain" this was a causal factor in her death.

The nine-day hearing, which began at Salisbury Coroner's Court earlier, was shown a series of messages between Gunner Beck and Mr Mason, covering a period between October and December 2021.

Gunner Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, told the hearing that in November alone Mr Mason sent her daughter 3,600 messages.

She also said her daughter, originally from Oxen Park in Cumbria, had also been upset by her uncle's suicide in August 2020, and had recently had a relationship come to an end.

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

In one message to Gunner Beck, on 21 October, Mr Mason wrote: "Love you Jayse. As a friend."

Then on 11 November, he wrote: "You're amazing Jayse, I appreciate you so much, I love everything about you, even your flaws.

"I will always be there along for the ride with you, I have said it before but you're stuck with me forever now. I love you as a friend, I love you."

Ms McCready said her daughter had become "freaked out" by this persistent behaviour.

"Ryan Mason was overstepping the mark of her friendliness and her nature," she said.

"This was Jayse's impression and she made us aware that he was becoming a creep."

On 25 November, Gunner Beck wrote to Mr Mason: "This whole falling in love with me, it's becoming a bit too much.

"It's weighing me down a little bit. Totally honest here, I just don't want to hear how you feel about me."

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

In another message, Gunner Beck revealed that she feared Mr Mason was watching her.

She wrote: "When you said you seen me leave camp I was a bit taken back, like are you watching me? It's just weird and the whole thing is just bizarre."

Ms McCready said that her daughter felt that Mr Mason was "obsessive", and began to fear for her safety as his behaviour intensified.

She said: "There was a time when she was on the phone to me, and said 'mum I think he's hacked my phone, because he knows exactly where I am standing and he's meant to be away'."

'Not normal behaviour'

Ms McCready said her daughter had phoned her eight days before her death, whilst staying in a hotel in Newbury for work.

Ms McCready told the hearing: "She thought he had tracked her phone and was listening to her conversation. Ryan was freaking her out."

In a drafted text to Mr Mason, that she did not end up sending, Gunner Beck told him she felt "trapped" by the whole situation.

It said: "I have tried to act as normal as possible because we are working together, but nothing [is] normal about this situation.

"It's possessive and psychotic, you have to understand it's not normal behaviour.

"I am struggling to deal with all of this. It's taking a huge toll on my own mental health for many personal reasons. I need time out."

Bombardier John Wheeler told the inquest he had a close relationship with Gunner Beck and said she was a "bubbly person" but she had become "more and more down" in the weeks before her death.

He said that she had sent him excerpts from a "love story" that Mr Mason had written where the characters were aliases for Mr Mason and Gunner Beck.

He said that he believed the book would amount to sexual harassment.

Ms McCready said her daughter was "upset and crying" on the phone because she was "afraid something would happen"

The hearing was also told that Gunner Beck had previously complained of being assaulted by a sergeant during a separate incident - in which he put his hand "between her legs" while on a team-building stay in Hampshire in July 2021.

Ms McCready said that her daughter had slept in her car that night as she had been too afraid to return to her room.

Gunner Beck had also been angered by an apology letter from the sergeant, who received a minor sanction, which ended by saying his "door was open" for her.

The Army service inquiry report said this was "possibly a factor that may have influenced her failure to report other events that happened subsequently".

The report also listed three more "contributory factors" to Gunner Beck's death.

These included the "significant strain" of a sexual relationship with a married colleague in the last few weeks of her life; a relationship which 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".

It added that Gunner Beck had no diagnosed mental health conditions and had not sought welfare support from anyone in the Army.

The inquest continues.

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