Ex-Army sergeant major who sexually assaulted teenage soldier months before her death is jailed
Ex-sergeant major jailed for sexually assaulting teenage soldier who took her own life
- Former senior Army sergeant major Michael Webber has been jailed for six months for sexually assaulting teenage soldier Gunner Jaysley Beck.
- Gunner Beck, 19, took her own life five months after the assault in July 2021, with her family stating the incident and the Army's subsequent handling of her complaint "broke something inside her".
- A coroner ruled that the Army's failure to take appropriate action, including not reporting the assault to the police, "more than minimally" contributed to her death.
- The court heard Webber put a hand on Beck's head to kiss her and touched her thigh during an adventure training exercise, despite her asking him to stop.
- Beck's chain of command dealt with her complaint as a "minor administrative" issue, discouraging a police report and Webber was promoted shortly after apologising to Beck.