A teenage soldier who is thought to have taken her own life over harassment in the military was cheated on by her Army instructor boyfriend, an inquest has heard.
Jaysley Beck, 19, a Royal Artillery Gunner, was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp, Wiltshire, on December 15 2021 after a work party.
She had been in a relationship with Sergeant George Higgins for the majority of her time in the military.
They split up in November 2021, just over a month before her suicide.
The Sergeant – eight years older than Gunner Beck – was a trainer at Harrogate, the Army Foundation College where she began her career aged 16.
He appeared at Salisbury Coroner’s Court, Wiltshire, and became tearful when giving evidence today.
Mr Higgins, who has now left the Army, said their relationship did not begin until her one-year course was complete and she was posted to the 47th Royal Artillery.
He admitted he was ‘unfaithful’ to Gunner Beck as he had a ‘one-night stand’, sent ‘photos’ to other women, and had also been ‘talking behind her back’.
He said the pair had ‘trust issues’ and their relationship began to break down.
‘She said she didn’t love me anymore’, Mr Higgins said. ‘She loved me but was not in love with me.
‘There was a few complications in the relationship.’
An Army inquiry has already found harassment she received was a factor in her suspected suicide.
An earlier hearing was told that Gunner Beck’s manager, Bombardier Ryan Mason, subjected her to ‘relentless’ harassment, a barrage of messages’.
Mr Higgins was asked questions about his conduct by lawyer John Dyer, who represents Mr Mason.
The former sergeant answered ‘yes’ and also said he felt there was an ‘equal balance’ in terms of their rank.
The 30-year-old declined to answer any questions related to when he first slept with Gunner Beck or whether he had slept with other recruits, when questioned by Mr Dyer.
Mr Higgins said he was concerned by the volume and content of messages that Gunner Beck received from Mr Mason.
He said: ‘He sent her quite a lot of messages and she was worried about his mental health and worried about upsetting him.
‘She took it upon herself that he was alright all the time. That was the kind of person she was… It was overbearing on his part.’
‘From memory he said he felt suicidal and had mental health problems and made out it was her fault because of a lack of attention’, he said.
‘He showed her a 30 page document he had written.
‘She had seen screenshots of it, I remember her telling me it was his fantasies about her.’
He recalled a time when they were sitting at his mother’s dinner table and he told Gunner Beck that Mr Mason was ‘obsessed’ with her because he had sent her a stream of messages.
The inquest has heard how Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, now of Warrant Officer Class 1 rank, attempted to kiss Gunner Beck after a barbecue.
Mr Higgins described receiving phone calls from her in July 2021 after the incident.
He said: ‘In the morning, she was found by a captain who basically told her she was lying about what happened.’
A close friend of Gunner Beck’s, Gunner Tamzin Hort, told the inquest Gunner Beck received ‘disgusting comments’ from male soldiers.
She said there was a ‘laddish’ culture within the Army and female soldiers would be subjected to ‘vicious gossip’ by male soldiers.
Ms Hort said she left the Army following treatment she received from others.
She said: ‘I got a lot of unwanted attention, especially when you had a drink it would all go downhill.
‘I couldn’t walk out my block without getting nasty comments.
‘I stopped feeling safe and started locking my door because anyone could just walk in.
‘I knew she [Gunner Beck] would a lot of comments, she was stunning. Everyone said how stunning she was.
‘They all made disgusting comments, like ‘I would do this to her’.
‘She was beautiful, she was going to get comments like that, but she should not have had to.’
The inquest continues.