Former Army officer admits sex assault on soldier, 19, who then took own life

A former Army officer has admitted sexually assaulting a young soldier who took her own life months later.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber refused to answer questions during the inquest into the death of 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck in July 2021.

Jaysley was found hanged at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15 of that year, five months after the sex assault and after suffering ‘relentless sexual harassment’.

Her inquest ruled that ‘on the balance of probabilities’ Jaysley had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague, and the Army’s failure to take action ‘more than minimally’ contributed to her death.

Jaysley, who joined the Army aged 16, was sexually assaulted by Webber during a training exercise at Thorney Island in Hampshire. She said he ‘made a pass’ at her, put his hand between her legs and ‘pinned her down’ while trying to kiss her.

She reported the assault twice, both to her captain and another superior officer further up the chain of command, but she was dissuaded from taking it any further.

Jaysley’s complaint should have been reported to the police and the failure to do so breached Army policy, her inquest heard.

She was left so scared after the sexual assault that she resorted to sleeping in her car for safety.

An Army spokesperson said after Jaysley’s inquest that it ‘should have done so much more to support and protect’ her.

Leighann McCready, her mother, said after Webber’s guilty plea: ‘We are relieved that Michael Webber has admitted his guilt and not put us through the trauma of yet more legal proceedings, but nothing can undo the devastating loss of our beautiful daughter Jaysley.

‘It’s hard to believe it has taken so long for there to be any accountability for this crime. Jaysley did everything right.

‘After Jaysley’s death, we’ve tried hard to get to the bottom of what happened. No-one was listening.

‘Thankfully, the coroner listened to us and held a thorough and full inquiry, concluding among other things that Jaysley had been sexually assaulted after all, something we never doubted.

‘Even after that, we had to formally request that the matter should be treated as a crime. If we hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t be here today.’

The inquest also heard that Jaysley had been bombarded by her ‘possessive and psychotic’ line manager, Bombardier Ryan Mason, who professed his love for her in 4,600 WhatsApp messages sent in the space of two months.

She feared he was tracking her movements after hacking her phone.

The Army said Mr Mason’s actions amounted to ‘unwelcome sexual attention’ and ‘harassment’, the coroner said.

Emma Norton, solicitor for the family, added: ‘It’s an enormous relief that the man that assaulted Jaysley has pleaded guilty.

‘At least the family doesn’t now have to go through a trial on top of everything else.

‘But what a difference it would have made if the Army, by which I mean Jaysley’s chain of command, had just listened to Jaysley when she told them about the assault the morning it happened and reported it to the police – instead of trying to persuade her that it wasn’t that serious, and to think about the impact on her assailant’s career and family.

‘What an outrageous, unconscionable thing to have done and what awful consequences it has had.

‘The family is still waiting for answers to questions that were put to the Army after the inquest about what if anything is being done to address those shocking wider failings.’

Webber, who has since left the Army, pleaded guilty at the Court Martial Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire.

In a statement issued on Monday, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘Following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we can confirm that former WO1 Michael Webber pleaded guilty to a single charge of sexual assault and will be sentenced on October 31, 2025, at Bulford Military Court Centre.’

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