Ex-sergeant may have sex assault sentence reviewed

The sentence of an Army sergeant jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage soldier who later took her own life could be reviewed.

Gunner Jaysley Beck was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in 2021 after Warrant Officer Michael Webber pinned her down and tried to kiss her.

Webber, a 43-year-old former senior non-commissioned officer, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting Gunner Beck after the inquest into her death. He was jailed for six months and added to the sex offenders register for seven years.

The Attorney General’s office said it had received “several” complaints, which could lead to the Court Martial Appeal Court reviewing the sentence to see if it was unduly lenient.

An inquest into Gunner Beck’s death heard that Webber engaged her in a drinking game before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her.

She pushed him away and spent the night locked in her car before complaining to her superior officers in the morning.

The incident was not reported to police and Webber, who wrote a letter of apology to Gunner Beck, was later promoted.

The coroner ruled that the sexual assault and the Army’s failure to take appropriate action “more than minimally” contributed to her death.

The Attorney General’s office said “multiple requests” were sent to them calling for the sentence to be reviewed.

“The Law Officers have 28 days from sentencing to carefully consider the case and make a decision whether to refer this case,” the office added in a statement.

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Gunner Beck’s mum, Leighann McCreedy, said the armed forces had not done enough to protect recruits and that young women should not join the army.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, she said: “Until policies are properly changed, I wouldn’t recommend anybody joining the Army because they protect themselves and not the soldiers, and that’s what happened to our daughter Jaysley.”

The Army said it did not listen to Gunner Beck, who was originally from Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she reported the assault and has apologised for its handling of her complaint.

Since Gunner Beck’s death, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has set up a serious crime command and launched a violence against women and girls taskforce, and more recently has agreed in principle to remove the handling of serious complaints from the individual services.