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Family Snapshot

An ex- military sergeant has been sentenced to half a year in jail for committing sexual assault against a 19-year-old soldier who afterwards died by suicide.

Sergeant Major the former sergeant, in his forties, restrained Royal Artillery Gunner the victim and attempted to make physical contact in the summer of 2021. She was located without signs of life five months later in her barracks at Larkhill military installation.

Webber, who was judged at the military court in Wiltshire previously, will be transferred to a public jail and on the sex offenders register for multiple years.

The family matriarch Leighann Mcready stated: "The assault, and how the military failed to protect our child following the incident, cost Jaysley her life."

Army Statement

The Army stated it ignored the servicewoman, who was hailing from Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she disclosed the incident and has expressed regret for its management of her complaint.

Subsequent to an investigation of Gunner Beck's death, the accused admitted to the offense of physical violation in September.

The mother said her child should have been sitting with her relatives in legal proceedings this day, "to observe the individual she accused facing consequences for the assault."

"Rather, we appear without her, enduring endless sorrow that no relatives should ever experience," she stated further.

"She adhered to protocols, but those responsible didn't follow theirs. These shortcomings destroyed our daughter totally."

PA

Court Proceedings

The judicial body was informed that the incident occurred during an field exercise at the training location, near Hampshire's Emsworth, in July 2021.

The sergeant, a ranking soldier at the moment, initiated inappropriate contact towards the servicewoman following an alcohol consumption while on deployment for a field training.

The victim testified the accused remarked he had been "seeking a chance for them to be in private" before grabbing her leg, pinning her down, and making unwanted advances.

She made official allegations against Webber subsequent to the incident, regardless of pressure by military leadership to convince her against reporting.

An inquest into her suicide found the military's management of the report played "an important contributory part in her demise."

Mother's Testimony

In a account shared to the court previously, the mother, stated: "She had only become nineteen and will forever remain a youth full of vitality and joy."

"She trusted people to protect her and post-incident, the faith was shattered. She was deeply distressed and terrified of the accused."

"I witnessed the change personally. She felt helpless and deceived. That assault destroyed her confidence in the system that was supposed to look after her."

Sentencing Remarks

When announcing the verdict, Judge Advocate General the magistrate said: "We have to consider whether it can be addressed in another way. We are not convinced it can."

"We have determined the gravity of the crime means it can only be resolved by incarceration."

He spoke to the convicted individual: "The servicewoman had the strength and intelligence to tell you to stop and told you to retire for the night, but you persisted to the degree she believed she could not feel secure from you even when she returned to her assigned barracks."

He added: "The next morning, she made the complaint to her relatives, her companions and her military superiors."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the military unit decided to handle the situation with light disciplinary measures."

"You were subject to inquiry and you admitted your actions had been inappropriate. You wrote a letter of apology."

"Your military service proceeded unimpeded and you were in due course promoted to Warrant Officer 1."

Additional Context

At the inquest into the tragic passing, the official examiner said a commanding officer influenced her to withdraw the complaint, and only reported it to a superior officers "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the period, the sergeant was given a "light disciplinary meeting" with no additional penalties.

The investigation was additionally informed that just weeks after the assault the servicewoman had also been facing "persistent mistreatment" by a different service member.

A separate service member, her line manager, sent her numerous digital communications expressing emotions for her, in addition to a 15-page "love story" detailing his "personal thoughts."

Personal collection

Institutional Response

The military leadership stated it provided its "heartfelt apologies" to the servicewoman and her family.

"We continue to be deeply apologetic for the failings that were discovered at Jaysley's inquest in winter."

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