In July 2021, during an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island near Emsworth in Hampshire, 43-year-old Warrant Officer Michael Webber sexually assaulted 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck. After a drinking game called “Last Man Standing,” Webber told Beck she was beautiful, put his hand on the back of her head to try to kiss her, and touched her thigh. Despite Beck telling him to stop and go to bed, he persisted to the extent that she feared she wouldn’t be safe if she returned to her accommodation. The Renfrewshire Gazette

Beck first hid in the toilets, standing on a toilet seat so Webber wouldn’t see where she was, before ultimately locking herself in her car overnight where she spent the night. The Renfrewshire Gazette

The Failed Response

The next morning, July 13, 2021, Beck reported the assault to her captain, who dismissed her complaint and dissuaded her from taking it further. Undeterred, she went over his head and reported it up the chain of command. The report eventually reached Colonel Samantha Shepherd who, instead of reporting it to police as required by Army policy at the time, persuaded Beck to accept a letter of apology from Webber. Webber received only a “minor administrative action” interview with no other consequences, and was shortly thereafter promoted to Warrant Officer 2, then later to Warrant Officer Class 1 (the most senior non-commissioned rank). Centreformilitaryjustice

Subsequent Harassment

Between September and November 2021, Beck was subjected to obsessive harassment by another soldier, Bombardier Ryan Mason, who sent her more than 4,600 messages and a 15-page “love story.” Action on Armed Violence He also wrote a 14-page document detailing his feelings toward her and paid for rooms next to each other during a work trip before she died. Isle of Wight Radio

Crucially, Beck did not report Mason’s harassment. The coroner found that as a result of the Army’s handling of her complaint about Webber, Beck had “lost faith in her ability to complain effectively to the extent that she did not complain of the harassment that she was receiving.” Centreformilitaryjustice

Jaysley’s Death

Beck was found hanged in her room at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire at about 4pm on December 15, 2021 – five months after Webber’s assault. The Renfrewshire Gazette

The Inquest and Coroner’s Findings

In February 2025, a coroner ruled that the Army’s handling of Beck’s complaint played “more than a minimal part in her death.” Action on Armed Violence The Coroner specifically found that “the failure of the Army to deal with her complaint arising from the actions of the BSM in a lawfully proper way more than minimally contributed to her death.” Centreformilitaryjustice

Family Impact Statements

At Webber’s sentencing on October 31, 2025, Beck’s family shared powerful statements:

Her father, Anthony Beck, told the court: “When Jaysley told me what Michael Webber did, it made me sick. He was twice her age, she trusted him and he took advantage of her trust. She became quieter, stopped trusting people and it was awful to see that light go out in her.” The Renfrewshire Gazette

Her sister described Jaysley as “confident, career driven and always her authentic self,” adding that she was “disgusted” and “severely frightened” after the incident. She described herself as “repulsed” at Webber’s actions, noting “a man who was old enough to be her father had taken advantage of her.” The Renfrewshire Gazette

The Sentence

On October 31, 2025, Webber was sentenced to six months imprisonment at Bulford Military Court Centre by Judge Advocate General Alan Large and a military board. LADbibleWiltshire 999s Webber, who is divorced with an estranged teenage daughter, had served in the Army for 22 years and 128 days before leaving in August 2025. The Renfrewshire Gazette

Systemic Issues

This case has highlighted serious problems with how the British military handles sexual assault cases. Analysis shows courts martial secure convictions at a rate 18% lower than the civilian system, and for rape cases, guilty verdicts in the military are three times less likely than before civilian juries. Action on Armed Violence

The Beck family has established a campaign called “Jaysley’s Voice” to support the Centre for Military Justice in advocating for reform.