British Army Sergeant Major Sentenced to Prison for Sexual Assault on Teenage Soldier
A former British army sergeant major has been sentenced to six months in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage soldier who later took her own life after senior officers failed to investigate the assault properly. Michael Webber, 39, assaulted Gunner Jaysley Beck during a training exercise in Hampshire in July 2021, when she was just 19 years old.
Webber engaged Beck in a drinking game called Last Man Standing before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her. When Beck pushed him away, he persisted, telling her she wouldn't be safe even if she went back to her own accommodation. The judge pointed out that Webber's career continued completely unaffected despite the assault.
The army has since acknowledged its failure to properly investigate and support Beck after the assault. In a victim statement, Beck's mother Leighann McCready described how the assault shattered her daughter's faith in the system that was supposed to protect her.
Beck reported the assault to her seniors but the police were not informed, and she was encouraged to accept a letter of apology from Webber instead of pursuing further action. Later that year, she did not report that another man, her line manager, was bombarding her with texts and voice messages.
An inquest into Beck's death found that the army's failure to take proper action after the assault "more than minimally" contributed to her death. The coroner said that the army should have reported Webber's assault to the police and that the system had failed Beck.
The incident has sparked calls for reform within the British army, with officials promising to make lasting and effective changes to prevent similar incidents in the future. However, it remains to be seen whether these promises will be followed through and whether meaningful action will be taken to address the systemic failures that led to Beck's death.
A former British army sergeant major has been sentenced to six months in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage soldier who later took her own life after senior officers failed to investigate the assault properly. Michael Webber, 39, assaulted Gunner Jaysley Beck during a training exercise in Hampshire in July 2021, when she was just 19 years old.
Webber engaged Beck in a drinking game called Last Man Standing before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her. When Beck pushed him away, he persisted, telling her she wouldn't be safe even if she went back to her own accommodation. The judge pointed out that Webber's career continued completely unaffected despite the assault.
The army has since acknowledged its failure to properly investigate and support Beck after the assault. In a victim statement, Beck's mother Leighann McCready described how the assault shattered her daughter's faith in the system that was supposed to protect her.
Beck reported the assault to her seniors but the police were not informed, and she was encouraged to accept a letter of apology from Webber instead of pursuing further action. Later that year, she did not report that another man, her line manager, was bombarding her with texts and voice messages.
An inquest into Beck's death found that the army's failure to take proper action after the assault "more than minimally" contributed to her death. The coroner said that the army should have reported Webber's assault to the police and that the system had failed Beck.
The incident has sparked calls for reform within the British army, with officials promising to make lasting and effective changes to prevent similar incidents in the future. However, it remains to be seen whether these promises will be followed through and whether meaningful action will be taken to address the systemic failures that led to Beck's death.
6 months in prison for a sick abuse of power... Army needs to get its act together on supporting soldiers 
This is so messed up 
. I mean, can you imagine being 19 and thinking you're safe in the army, but really you're just a tiny cog in a system that's more interested in covering its own backside than protecting people like Beck 
. The fact that Webber got away with it for so long is just disgusting 
. We need real change, not just token gestures 
.
this is just so messed up i cant believe no one did anything about webber's assualt when he was still serving 
i hope those in charge are held accountable for their role in lets say helping webber avoid punishment 
.
. The fact that senior officers didn't take proper action and even tried to silence Beck is just disgusting 
. I hope so, for Jaysley's memory and for all the other victims of sexual assault who haven't gotten the justice they deserve 
.
. We need real change here, not just empty promises 
... Six months in prison for what? That doesn't even seem like enough, considering he was only 39 and still had a career ahead of him 
. And poor Jaysley, she deserved so much better than to be disbelieved and dismissed by her own seniors 
. It's sick that the army didn't report Webber's assault to the police, it's not like it would've made things any harder for anyone involved 
. I hope they actually do something about this, but honestly, I'm skeptical 
. Six months in prison is gonna feel like a slap on the wrist for most people 
.
it's crazy that Webber got away with this for so long & his career just kept on going 
i feel like we're making progress but these cases are still coming out & it's hard not to wonder if anything will really change 
. The army needs to get its act together and actually take care of their soldiers instead of just sweeping things under the rug 
.
, can't believe the army didn't even take it serious enough 
. I mean, what's goin' on here? You got this guy doin' some crazy stuff and then he just gets a slap on the wrist? 
that's not right fam 
. We gotta see some serious reform and accountability 
... anyway, I'm not sure what's more disturbing - the fact that this guy got away with his behavior or that the army didn't take it seriously enough in the first place 
. It's like, I get that they're trying to toughen you up and all that, but does that really justify ignoring someone's complaint? And now there's talk of reforms, which is good, but let's be real, change takes time, right? 