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An ex- Army sergeant major has been given half a year in prison for committing sexual assault against a 19-year-old soldier who afterwards took her own life.

Sergeant Major the former sergeant, forty-three, held down Royal Artillery Gunner the victim and sought to force a kiss on her in the summer of 2021. She was discovered deceased five months later in her barracks at the Wiltshire base.

The defendant, who was sentenced at the legal proceedings in Wiltshire recently, will be transferred to a civilian prison and on the sex offenders register for seven years.

The family matriarch Leighann Mcready stated: "What he [Webber] did, and how the military did not safeguard our young woman following the incident, cost Jaysley her life."

Official Reaction

The military leadership stated it failed to hear Gunner Beck, who was a native of Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she filed the complaint and has said sorry for its handling of her allegations.

Subsequent to an inquest into Gunner Beck's death, Webber confessed to one count of physical violation in last fall.

Ms McCready stated her daughter ought to have been sitting with her family in court now, "to witness the person she accused held accountable for the assault."

"Rather, we stand here missing her, living a life sentence that no relatives should ever experience," she added.

"She followed the rules, but the accountable parties neglected their responsibilities. Such negligence destroyed our daughter totally."

PA

Legal Hearing

The court was told that the assault happened during an military training at the exercise site, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.

Webber, a senior officer at the moment, initiated inappropriate contact towards the soldier after an alcohol consumption while on deployment for a military exercise.

Gunner Beck stated the accused stated he had been "waiting for a moment for them to be in private" before grabbing her leg, restraining her, and making unwanted advances.

She made official allegations against Webber subsequent to the violation, regardless of pressure by military leadership to persuade her not to.

An official inquiry into her suicide found the military's management of the allegations played "more than a minimal contributory part in her death."

Mother's Testimony

In a statement shared to the tribunal during proceedings, the mother, said: "Our daughter had just turned 19 and will eternally stay a young person full of vitality and joy."

"She believed authorities to safeguard her and post-incident, the trust was gone. She was extremely troubled and fearful of the sergeant."

"I saw the difference firsthand. She felt vulnerable and abandoned. That assault shattered her trust in the system that was supposed to look after her."

Court Ruling

While delivering judgment, Judge Advocate General the magistrate stated: "We have to consider whether it can be dealt with in a different manner. We do not believe it can."

"We are satisfied the severity of the crime means it can only be resolved by incarceration."

He told the defendant: "The servicewoman had the bravery and wisdom to tell you to stop and told you to go to bed, but you carried on to the degree she felt she could not feel secure from you even when she returned to her assigned barracks."

He continued: "The subsequent morning, she reported the incident to her loved ones, her acquaintances and her military superiors."

"Following the report, the command decided to handle the situation with minor administrative action."

"You were interviewed and you acknowledged your actions had been improper. You wrote a written apology."

"Your professional path proceeded unimpeded and you were subsequently elevated to senior position."

Background Information

At the inquest into the tragic passing, the official examiner said military leadership pressured her to withdraw the complaint, and merely disclosed it to a military leadership "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the period, Webber was given a "light disciplinary meeting" with no further consequences.

The inquest was further advised that just weeks after the violation the servicewoman had further been exposed to "continuous bullying" by a separate individual.

Another soldier, her commanding individual, directed toward her more than 4,600 digital communications declaring attachments for her, in addition to a multi-page "personal account" detailing his "fantasies about her."

Family handout

Institutional Response

The military leadership said it extended its "heartfelt apologies" to the servicewoman and her loved ones.

"We remain sincerely regretful for the deficiencies that were identified at Jaysley's inquest in early this year."

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