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A former military sergeant has been sentenced to half a year in custody for attacking a teenage servicewoman who afterwards took her own life.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, held down service member Jaysley Beck and tried to kiss her in the summer of 2021. She was discovered deceased half a year following in her quarters at the Wiltshire base.

The defendant, who was judged at the legal proceedings in the Wiltshire region previously, will be transferred to a correctional facility and on the offender database for multiple years.

The family matriarch Leighann Mcready stated: "The assault, and how the armed forces failed to protect our young woman subsequently, cost Jaysley her life."

Official Reaction

The armed forces said it ignored Gunner Beck, who was originally from the Cumbrian village, when she disclosed the incident and has apologised for its response to her allegations.

Following a formal inquiry regarding the tragic death, the accused admitted to one count of sexual assault in the autumn.

The mother said her young woman should have been present with her family in court today, "to see the person she filed against facing consequences for what he did."

"Rather, we appear in her absence, living a life sentence that no family should ever have to face," she stated further.

"She complied with procedures, but the individuals in charge failed in their duties. These shortcomings shattered our child completely."

PA

Legal Hearing

The court was advised that the violation occurred during an field exercise at the exercise site, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.

The sergeant, a Sergeant Major at the period, made a sexual advance towards the servicewoman subsequent to an evening of drinking while on deployment for a military exercise.

The victim claimed the sergeant remarked he had been "anticipating an opportunity for them to be by themselves" before making physical contact, restraining her, and attempting to force intimacy.

She made official allegations against the sergeant following the assault, despite attempts by commanding officers to convince her against reporting.

An official inquiry into her death found the Army's handling of the complaint played "an important role in her death."

Mother's Testimony

In a account read out to the court earlier, the parent, expressed: "The young woman had recently celebrated a teenager and will forever remain a youth full of vitality and joy."

"She believed people to safeguard her and following the assault, the trust was lost. She was extremely troubled and fearful of the accused."

"I saw the transformation before my own eyes. She felt vulnerable and abandoned. That incident destroyed her confidence in the set-up that was meant to look after her."

Judge's Statement

When announcing the verdict, The presiding judge the judge said: "We need to assess whether it can be handled in an alternative approach. We do not consider it can."

"We are satisfied the gravity of the offence means it can only be dealt with by incarceration."

He spoke to the defendant: "She had the courage and good sense to instruct you to cease and directed you to go to bed, but you continued to the point she believed she wouldn't be safe from you despite the fact she retreated to her assigned barracks."

He continued: "The following day, she reported the incident to her relatives, her acquaintances and her military superiors."

"Following the report, the command decided to handle the situation with minimal consequences."

"You were subject to inquiry and you admitted your behavior had been improper. You composed a apology note."

"Your career proceeded without interruption and you were subsequently promoted to Warrant Officer 1."

Background Information

At the formal inquiry into Gunner Beck's death, the investigating officer said a commanding officer influenced her to drop the allegations, and only reported it to a superior officers "after information had leaked."

At the time, the accused was given a "minor administrative action interview" with no further consequences.

The investigation was also told that only a short time after the incident Gunner Beck had additionally been subjected to "persistent mistreatment" by another soldier.

Another soldier, her superior officer, sent her over four thousand six hundred text messages declaring attachments for her, accompanied by a 15-page "love story" outlining his "imagined scenarios."

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Organizational Reaction

The armed forces said it extended its "heartfelt apologies" to the servicewoman and her loved ones.

"We will always be sincerely regretful for the deficiencies that were identified at Jaysley's inquest in February."

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