Overview
- Michael Webber, 43, was sentenced to six months in prison at Bulford Military Court Centre after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck.
- The Judge Advocate General, Alan Large, sitting with a military board, imposed the sentence for the July 2021 assault during an adventure training stay on Thorney Island in Hampshire.
- Prosecutors said Webber tried to kiss Beck and touched her thigh after heavy drinking, leading her to hide in toilets and then lock herself in her car overnight before reporting the incident.
- The complaint was initially handled as a minor administrative matter with an apology letter and no police referral, and a later inquest found the Army’s response contributed to Beck’s death in December 2021.
- Following the inquest, Wiltshire Police transferred the case to the Defence Serious Crime Unit, the Service Prosecuting Authority charged Webber in August, and he entered a guilty plea on September 5.