The sister of a female soldier who killed herself after the handling of a sexual assault complaint has condemned the army as ‘not safe for women’ as she paid a moving tribute to her ‘best friend’ and ‘rock’.
An inquest this week found that the 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck took her own life following a complaint she made against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber after he pinned her down and tried to kiss her.
Jaysley was later found dead at her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021.
Assistant Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg ruled that she died by suicide and that the army’s handling of the matter played ‘more than a minimal contributory part in her death’.
He also found that she was subject to ‘intolerable harassment’ from Bombardier Ryan Mason, her line manager at the time.
Now, speaking in the emotional aftermath of the inquest, Emily Beck, Jaysley’s older sister, has advised other women to not join the army.
‘The army is not a safe place for women, and I would advise them not to join it. What happened to Jaysley was just swept under the carpet. The army was just interested in covering its own back’, Emilli told the .
‘It was a shock at how they (the army) dealt with the situation. It was truly appalling and even the coroner could see that. They should have done more to protect my sister’.
Emilli, along with her parents, attended every day of the inquest at Salisbury Coroners Court, with the family placing two portraits of Jaysley on a desk next to where they were seated along with her army issued cap.
The hearing also found that BSM Webber was only given a ‘minor sanction’ and wrote a letter of apology to Jaysley for sexually assaulting her at an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island in Hampshire in July 2021.
Assistant Coroner Rheinberg ruled that the matter should have been reported to police and that a criminal investigation should also have taken place.
He also found that former Bombardier Mason, her immediate superior, subjected the young Gunner to an ‘intense period of unwelcome behaviour’ which included telling her that he loved her.
He sent her more than 1,000 messages in October 2021 and 3,600 in November, a month before she died.
Reacting to BSM Webber’s initial punishment, Emilli said: ”A letter of apology for sexual assault is not right and tells you that any girl should not join the army’.
Emilli also revealed her hurt over Jaysley’s death was further compounded when army officials initially tried to suggest that ‘family problems’ might have been a factor in her suicide.
She fumed: ‘That was just an example of the army trying to deflect blame away from themselves’.
‘I was appalled by what I heard during the inquest, it opened my eyes. This was a cover up by the army, their only interest was in protecting themselves and senior soldiers’, Emilli said.
‘Jaysley’s complaint against Webber was manipulated to make it sound less serious. It makes me feel sick.
‘Her senior officer never believed her and didn’t listen to her. The fact is that things should have been handled differently and if they had, we would be in a very different place now’.
Jaysley first expressed an interest in joining the army at aged 16 following a school career day, according to Emilli.
She said that she tried to ‘talk her out of it’ but only because she did not want her leaving home as she would miss her.
Emilli added: ‘After the school career day Jaysley said: ‘I can do this.’ We did ask her if she was sure, but we knew that nothing could have changed her mind. I knew that she had the qualities to be a good soldier, but I just wanted her to stay at home with me.’
The 25-year-old also took time to reflect on the inseparable bond she and her younger sister shared, with Emilli telling the : ‘We were best friends, we have always been inseparable. We were each other’s rocks and guides. I’m still struggling to accept that she’s gone and that this is my new reality.
‘Jaysley was fantastic, she was everything that I aspired to be even though I was her older sister. She had the most positive outlook on life and seized every opportunity that came her way. I am now trying to carry these qualities in my life’.
She added: ‘At any given moment we did everything together. We spoke every day, there was never a day when we didn’t speak to each other. We were truly best friends and always will be. Just because she’s gone, doesn’t change anything’.
In the aftermath of Jaysley’s death, Emilli moved to having been inspired by her sister’s love of travel.
‘When Jaysley was alive I was always talking about going travelling and she would tell me to do it. After he death, I wanted to live by her qualities, so I went to in October 2022. In her own way, she encouraged me to do it’, she said.
Emilli also spoke of how she regularly meets with her parents in or surrounding countries to commemorate the day of Jaysley’s death and celebrate their birthdays, which are only two weeks apart.
She said: ‘We had a great family life, a great up bringing and moving away is helping us all to heal.
‘Travelling to different countries as a family is now helping us all to get away from the hurt of home. We are all supporting each other to help cope with Jaysley’s loss’.
Despite now living thousands of miles away in , Emilli said that she intends to continue working with her mother and other members of the family to tackle sexual violence and harassment within the Army and encourage more victims to come forward.
She said: ‘In honour of Jaysley’s memory we will continue our work to encourage change within the Army.
‘There should be an independent body that investigates complaints and victims should be supported properly.
‘Jaysley’s struggles will not go unheard. Shining a light on what happened to her and us as a family will hopefully encourage victims to speak up’.