Bea Swallow
West of England

This marks the end of our live coverage on Michael Webber's sentencing. You can read the full story here.

If you have been affected by the issues discussed in this blog, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.

Bea Swallow
West of England

Minister for Veterans and People Louise Sandher-Jones MP described Jaysley's death as a "tragedy" that continues to be felt across the Army.

“Today's sentencing does not diminish the profound loss felt by her family, friends and the wider community, but it does represent an important step on the journey to justice," she said.

“Let me be clear: there is no place for criminal or unacceptable behaviours within the military. All those who choose to serve our country, particularly our newest recruits, must be able to do so free from abuse, and with the dignity and respect they deserve.

"We are honouring Jaysley’s legacy by bringing about crucial reform, to provide a place where people are proud to work and have faith in the service justice system."

Image source, Family Handout

Ms Sandher-Jones added the Army accepted the failings identified by the coroner and said it had responded to the recommendations to improve service life across its culture, policies, and practices.

However, she acknowledged there was still work to be done.

"This mission is deeply personal to me, and I am committed to driving the necessary change to prevent this from happening again," she added.

Bea Swallow
West of England

After Major General Swift delivered his statement and stepped aside, Jaysley's mum addressed the press directly to offer her response.

Ms McCready said the Army's statement was "empty words" that echoed the "same old" reassurances they had always been given.

Image source, PA Media

"These policies they are rewording and trying to rebrand have always been in place," she said.

"They stand here and say 'we are making these changes', but it's four years on. How long does it take?

"It just beggars belief they can stand there and not take any questions. I'm actually lost for words. I've got little faith in anything."

Bea Swallow
West of England

Assistant chief of general staff Major General Jon Swift said that, since Jaysley's death, work had been ongoing to reform the system and enable personnel to feel confident their complaints will be dealt with properly.

"To Jaysley-Louise Beck's family, we continue to offer our sincerest condolences. We will always be profoundly sorry for the failings that were identified at Jaysley's inquest in February.

"The end of this court martial is another traumatic step in the journey for Jaysley's family and we acknowledge that today's outcome has come too late for their beloved daughter."

"We are sorry we didn't listen to Jaysley when she first reported her assault. We are determined to make sure the same mistakes don't happen again," he added.

Programmes have been introduced to reform the culture and raise standards, and the military is improving its training for appropriate behaviours and how it assesses and selects leaders, he said.

Bea Swallow
West of England

In a statement outside the court, Ms McCready said "no sentence will be enough" to compensate for the loss of her daughter.

"Jaysley should have been sat in court with us 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. What he did, and how the Army failed to protect our daughter afterwards, cost Jaysley her life.

"Jaysley was just 19, a beautiful, bright, confident girl with her whole life ahead of her. She did everything right but was failed by the system that was meant to support and protect her. She followed the rules, but those responsible didn’t follow theirs."

Image source, Ben Birchall/PA Wire

"They failed to act, failed to report, and failed to follow up. Those failures destroyed our daughter completely," she continued.

"When another senior male later started harassing her, she said she didn’t want to be known as a troublemaker and didn’t see any point in reporting him."

Ms McCready said the Army "cannot keep marking its own homework", and real action means giving soldiers somewhere truly independent to report serious complaints, "without fear or favour".

"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.

"This is the start of things to come and I will not stop. Jaysley’s voice will be listened to."

Bea Swallow
West of England

The judge has briefly called everyone back into the courtroom to clarify additional details on sentencing.

He said Webber will spend half of his six-month sentence in prison before being released to serve the rest of his time in the community.

He will also be placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years.

Bea Swallow
West of England

We are expecting statements outside court shortly from both Jaysley's family and the Ministry of Defence.

We will update you with the latest reaction to Webber's six-month sentence shortly.

Bea Swallow
West of England

The panel has returned and sentenced Michael Webber to six months in a civilian prison.

Judge Alan Large said: "We have to consider whether it can be dealt with in another way. We do not consider it can.

"We are satisfied the seriousness of the offence means it can only be dealt with by immediate custody.

"You will also be reduced to the ranks."

The Ministry of Defence is not expected to release a photograph of Webber for reasons relating to general data protection regulation and copyright.

Bea Swallow
West of England

Our reporters inside the court expect the board to return shortly.

Bea Swallow
West of England

This morning in court we heard from Jaysley's mother Leighann McCready, who described how the Army's failure to treat Webber's conduct as a criminal matter from the outset left her daughter feeling "powerless and betrayed".

"That assault shattered her faith in the set-up that was supposed to look after her," she said.

"I truly believe how it was handled broke something inside her she couldn't repair."

Image source, Handout

Jaysley's father Anthony Beck said it was "awful" to witness his daughter's spark extinguish as she became quieter, more withdrawn and stopped trusting people.

"There's nothing I could do to bring my daughter back," he said.

"Whatever sentence is given, it'll never come close to the life sentence I have without my daughter."

Christopher Mace
Bulford Military Court Centre

Webber is being sentenced at a small military court at Bulford Camp, in Wiltshire today.

The military site is roughly the same size as an average village and feels a bit of an odd spot for a courthouse. The building is bordered by a housing estate on one side, with the camp itself on the other.

The court building is small and has just two rooms.

While normally there may be just one reporter at a hearing - or none at all - this is a high-profile case and the courtroom is too small to accommodate all of the media and interested parties. As a result, an adjoining room has been opened up and is full of press.

The court procedure itself is also a little different to a civilian court. Instead of a jury, there is a panel which is referred to as a board. The panel is usually made up of military officers and warrant officers.

In a civilian court, the jury is discharged after delivering its verdict and the judge alone is responsible for sentencing. In a military court, the board and the judge jointly make decisions about sentencing.

The board here in Bulford has just retired to deliberate on a sentence for Webber.

Bea Swallow
West of England

While we wait for the panel to return to sentence Webber, we're taking a look at what the Army has done to address shortfalls in the wake of Jaysley's death.

The Defence Serious Crime Command (DSCC) was introduced in 2022, the year after Jaysley died, as part of a major reform of the UK military’s justice system.

Changes include new guidance on handling complaints of a sexual nature, which are now independently dealt with outside the immediate chain of command.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson told the BBC "unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces", and said there were "clear consequences" for those found in breach of its policies.

Image source, Family Handout

"The DSCC assures all serving personnel that any reporting of a serious crime will be investigated independently from their chain of command and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," they added.

"We are strengthening our systems which support those who come forward and creating an environment where personnel know that any report will be met with action.

"This includes the Violence against Women and Girls taskforce and our Victim and Witness Care unit, which provides independent support to victims."

Bea Swallow
West of England

Military courts are judicial systems designed to try members of the armed forces for criminal offences or disciplinary violations.

They operate under military law, which applies to service members both on and off-duty, and punishments can include imprisonment, reduction in rank or dismissal from service.

A board of three military personnel were sworn in as the board for this sentencing - speaking only to confirm they did not know Webber.

The board has now retired to consider his sentence for sexually assaulting Gunner Beck.

A warning to our readers, some of the details in this case are distressing.

If you have been affected by these issues, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.

Bea Swallow
West of England

Gunner Beck's inquest heard Webber was made to write an apology letter to the teenager after he pinned her down and tried to kiss her.

In the letter, he wrote: “My behaviour was absolutely unacceptable and unbecoming of rank."

He ended the letter by saying his "door was open" for her.

Gunner Beck was given the only copy of the apology letter and it does not exist in any written records, the inquest was told.

Image source, Family Handout

Lance Bombardier Braddon Haigh, who was posted to the same regiment as Gunner Beck, said she was disappointed by the response.

"I remember her saying it was pathetic, it’s easy for him to just write a letter," he told the inquest.

"She was obviously not happy with it, but she’d done what she was told to do by escalating it and that was the outcome."

Coroner Rheinberg determined the Army's handling of the complaint played "more than a minimal contributory part in her death".

Bea Swallow
West of England

Matthew Scott, mitigating, acknowledged the "most aggravating features" in this case were that Webber, now 43, was in a position of seniority and twice Jaysley's age.

"All we ask is that he is sentenced for what he did," said Mr Scott. "It is not his fault the army, prosecution or police did not proceed more formally against him.

"He was happy to write a letter of apology to Miss Beck. He didn’t pretend, as some may have done, that nothing had happened. He didn't hide behind the fact it happened with no other witnesses.

"He immediately accepted what he did was wrong. It has always been his attitude and continues to be. He makes no excuses."

Mr Scott also raised several "mitigating factors" for the panel to consider, including Webber's early guilty plea, "exemplary military record", and his ex-wife's reliance on him to pay child support.

Webber, who is divorced with an estranged teenage daughter, served in the Army for 22 years and 128 days before leaving in August this year.

He now works as a lorry driver and receives £1,200 per month from a military pension.

Bea Swallow
West of England

The court has just heard from Jaysley's father, Anthony Beck.

"When Jaysley told me what Michael Webber did, it made me sick," he said. "He was twice her age, she trusted him and he took advantage of her trust.

"She became quieter, stopped trusting people and it was awful to see that light go out in her."

The court heard Mr Beck suffered a heart attack in the months after his daughter died.

"What he did didn't just hurt Jaysley, it tore through our family," he said. "Every day just feels like I'm getting through the hours."

Mr Beck added whatever sentence Webber receives will "never come close to the life sentence I have without my daughter".

Image source, Family handout

Bea Swallow
West of England

Gunner Beck's inquest heard the sexual assault happened during an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.

There was a social gathering that was attended by mixed military ranks and extended into the early hours of the morning, until Gunner Beck and Webber were left drinking together alone.

Image source, Google

Shortly after, Gunner Beck called her friend Lance Bombardier Kirsty Davis "frightened and in tears" because "someone tried it on with her", the inquest was told.

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.

The inquest was told she had hidden in a toilet cubicle with her feet up before spending the remainder of the night locked in her car on the phone to Ms Davis.

A warning to our readers, some of the details in this case are distressing.

If you have been affected by these issues, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.

Bea Swallow
West of England

Gunner Beck's mother Leighann McCready has delivered an emotional victim impact statement to the court.

"She had just turned 19 and will always be a teenager full of life and laughter," she said.

"She trusted people to protect her and after what he did, the trust was gone. She was very upset and scared of Michael Webber. She chose to lock herself in her car instead of the hotel."

Image source, Family Handout

"I saw the change before my own eyes. She felt powerless and betrayed. She then found out he had been promoted. 'I got a letter, he got a promotion'. That assault shattered her faith in the set-up that was supposed to look after her.

"I truly believe how it was handled broke something inside her she couldn't repair. Since I lost her, my life has turned upside down. There's no peace. If my children don't answer their phones I panic."

Ms McCready said her daughter's bedroom remains how she left it - frozen in time with her slippers by her bedside.

The boxes full of her belongings collected from her barracks remain unopened, she added.