The British Army issued an apology on Thursday after a coroner criticised its handling of a sexual assault complaint made by 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, who later died by suicide.
Beck was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp, southwest England, in December 2021. Earlier that year, she had reported being sexually assaulted by a senior colleague at a work event, an inquest into her death revealed. The incident left her terrified and forced her to flee for her safety.
Additionally, Beck was subjected to relentless harassment from her manager, Bombardier Ryan Mason, who bombarded her with 4,600 messages over two months before her death, the inquest heard.
Brigadier Melissa Emmett, speaking on behalf of the army, on Thursday, February 20, 2025, admitted failures in supporting Beck.
“We should have done so much more to support and protect her,” she said, adding that significant changes had been implemented since her death.
Delivering his findings, coroner Nicholas Rheinberg condemned the army’s “systemic” failings in dealing with Beck’s sexual assault complaint, stating it should have been referred to the police.
He also criticised senior officers for pursuing the least severe punishment for Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, the man accused in Beck’s complaint.
The Ministry of Defence acknowledged the failings highlighted by the inquest, stating that it had implemented recommendations from an internal service inquiry.
Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, however, insisted that the military should no longer be allowed to investigate itself in such cases.
“No apology will ever bring our daughter back,” she said, describing Beck as “kind, caring, and truly loved by everyone who knew her.”
She called for independent oversight of sexual assault investigations in the armed forces, arguing that true accountability and justice could only be achieved through an external body.
The Centre for Military Justice, a charity supporting victims of harassment, echoed these concerns, warning that allowing the military to “mark its homework” in cases of serious misconduct was ineffective and in urgent need of reform.
