Two Army officers are facing court martial over their conduct in the case of Gunner Jaysley Beck, a 19-year-old soldier who was sexually assaulted and later died by suicide in 2021. Major James Hook and Colonel Samantha Shepherd have been charged with offences under Section 19 of the Armed Forces Act following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command.
The charges relate to conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline. An inquest into Gunner Beck's death found that the Army's failure to take appropriate action after her assault «more than minimally» contributed to her death.
The assault and Army's response
Gunner Beck was sexually assaulted by Michael Webber, then a battery sergeant major, five months before her death. Despite her complaint to superiors, the incident was not reported to police. Webber wrote an apology letter and was subsequently promoted.
Webber, now 43, was later jailed for six months for the sexual assault. Gunner Beck was found hanged in her barracks at Larkhill Camp, Wiltshire, in 2021.
Official response and reforms
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson confirmed the charges on Friday: «Following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we can confirm two individuals have been charged with offences under Section 19, Armed Forces Act (conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline). It would be inappropriate to comment further as legal proceedings are ongoing.»
Since Gunner Beck's death, the Ministry of Defence has established a serious crime command, launched a violence against women and girls taskforce, and agreed in principle to centralize the handling of serious complaints away from individual services.
Al Carns, minister for the armed forces, described the case last year as a «horrendous failing of the system». He added: «What I can tell you is in the last several years there's been lots of changes – in the last year we've really made a proactive move to create the correct systems so no woman ever feels alone again in defence.»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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