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Army Sergeant Pleads Guilty in Case Linked to Gunner Jaysley Beck’s Suicide

The coroner said the assault and the Army’s response contributed to the 19-year-old’s death.

Overview

  • Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber admitted sexually assaulting Jaysley Beck and is due to be sentenced next month.
  • Beck reported the attack twice to Army authorities, but it was handled internally and resulted only in a minor administrative action at the time.
  • Her mother says she later saw Webber promoted and contends the Army’s failures "cost" her daughter’s life.
  • Following February’s inquest, the family asked Wiltshire Police to pursue the case, and prosecutors subsequently brought a sexual assault charge.
  • The Army has apologized for "letting her down" as ministers call for cultural change and the family campaigns for reform.