Sergeant jailed after sexually assaulting female soldier who took her own life

He appeared before Bulford Military Court Centre on Friday and was sentenced by the Judge Advocate General Alan Large and a military board.

During the incident, Webber engaged Gunner Beck in a drinking game called Last Man Standing before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her.

Gunner Beck pushed Webber, then a 39-year-old Battery Sergeant Major, away and spent the night locked in her car before making a complaint to her superiors in the morning.

However, the incident was not reported to police and Webber wrote a letter of apology to Gunner Beck, from Cumbria.

She was found hanged in her room at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire at about 4pm on December 15 2021, five months after the incident.

At the conclusion of her inquest in February 2025, Assistant Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg ruled that the Army’s failure to take appropriate action made a "more than minimal" contribution to her death.

Judge Large told Webber: "At some point in the early hours of July 13, you told Gunner Beck she was beautiful, you put your hand on the back of her head, you leant in to kiss her and you touched her thigh.

"She had the courage and good sense to tell you to stop and told you to go to bed, but you persisted to the extent she considered she wouldn’t be safe from you even if she went back to her own accommodation."

He continued: "The next morning, she reported the incident to her family, her friends and her chain of command. Following the report, the unit decided to deal with you with minor administrative action.

"You were interviewed and you accepted your behaviour had been unacceptable. You wrote a letter of apology.

"Your career continued completely unaffected and you were in due course promoted to Warrant Officer 1."

The judge told Gunner Beck’s family the sentencing was part of the process for dealing with what happened to her during her time in the Army.

Prosecuting, Commodore James Farrant told the military court on Friday that Webber and Gunner Beck had been away for adventure training on Thorney Island when the incident took place.

He said: "On the first night of their training, both of them stayed up in the bar drinking and in fact the two of them were the last two present in the bar.

"At some point, after they had been drinking together for some time, Mr Webber told the complainant that she was beautiful.

"He put his hand on the back of her head in order to kiss her and he also touched her thigh. She asked him to stop and told him that he should go to bed.

"However, he continued to the extent that Gunner Beck feared she would not be safe from him if she went to her accommodation."

The court heard Gunner Beck first hid in the toilets, standing on top of a toilet seat so Webber would not see where she was, before locking herself in her car overnight.

She reported the incident the following day and Webber was dealt with by a minor administrative action – involving him being interviewed and writing Gunner Beck a letter of apology.

He added that a service inquiry later found Gunner Beck had been subjected to a "number of inappropriate behaviours by personnel senior to her in the months before her death."

During her inquest, it emerged Gunner Beck had received thousands of messages from another senior colleague, Bombardier Ryan Mason.

Jaysley's sister Emilli read a statement to the court, where she described herself as "repulsed" at Webber’s actions, adding "a man who was old enough to be her father had taken advantage of her."

The court heard Webber, who is divorced with an estranged teenage daughter, served in the Army for 22 years and 128 days before leaving in August this year. He now works as a lorry driver.

Representing Webber, Matthew Scott said: "He is devastated by what happened to Miss Beck.

"He doesn’t seek to shy away from his responsibility for what happened, he accepts through me that his actions on that night on Thorney Island contributed in some way to the tragic outcome when she took her own life in December, about five months later."

Mr Scott said the Army’s service inquiry report published in October 2023, and the inquest identified "many other reasons which contributed to Miss Beck taking her own life in the way she did".

Wiltshire Police investigated a complaint of harassment submitted by Gunner Beck’s family after her death, relating to Mr Mason’s behaviour, but found the evidence did not support a criminal harassment case.

The force also investigated the incident involving Webber but declined to refer it to the Crown Prosecution Service, Commodore Farrant added.

Following Gunner Beck’s inquest, Wiltshire Police transferred jurisdiction of the case to the Defence Serious Crime Unit and the Service Prosecuting Agency charged Webber with sexual assault in August.

He pleaded guilty to the charge on September 5.

Minister for Veterans and People, Louise Sandher-Jones MP said: "The death of Jaysley-Louise Beck was a tragedy and her loss continues to be felt across the Army and wider Defence community.

"My thoughts are with her loved ones and we remain profoundly sorry for the failure to protect her.

"Today's sentencing does not diminish the profound loss felt by her family, friends and the wider community, but it does represent an important step on the journey to justice.

"Let me be clear: there is no place for criminal or unacceptable behaviours within the military.

"All those who choose to serve our country, particularly our newest recruits, must be able to do so free from abuse, and with the dignity and respect they deserve.

"We are honouring Jaysley’s legacy by bringing about crucial reform, to provide a place where people are proud to work and have faith in the service justice system.

"The Army has accepted the failings identified by the Service Inquiry in full and has also responded to the recommendations to improve Service life across its culture, policies, and practices. However, there is more work to be done.

"As a Minister and Army veteran, this mission is deeply personal to me and I am committed to driving the necessary change to prevent this from happening again."

Anyone who is in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide can call the Samaritans anonymously for free from a UK phone on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org.