Two serving British Army officers are set to face a court martial over their handling of a sexual assault complaint made by teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later took her own life.
Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at her barracks in Larkhill, Wiltshire, in 2021. She had reported that she had been sexually assaulted.
Last October, former Battery Sergeant Michael Webber was sentenced to six months in jail for sexual assault.
An earlier inquest into Beck’s death concluded that the Army’s handling of her complaint had played “more than a minimal contributory part into her death.”
The Army subsequently issued an apology, describing the failings identified at the inquest as deeply regrettable, saying it was “profoundly sorry.”
The Service Prosecution Authority has now charged two officers who were in Beck’s chain of command.
The BBC has been informed that they are Major James Hook and Colonel Samantha Shepherd, both of whom were aware of her complaint prior to her death.
Following the inquest, Beck’s family wrote to the head of the Army, General Sir Roly Walker, urging that further action be taken against the officers.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said, “Following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we can confirm two individuals have been charged with offences under Section 19 of the Armed Forces Act (conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline). It would be inappropriate to comment further as legal proceedings are ongoing.”
Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, expressed relief at the development, saying: “More than 4 years on from the loss of our daughter we are very relieved to have finally got to this point.”
The MoD has established a serious crime command, launched a taskforce to tackle violence against women and girls, and recently agreed in principle to remove responsibility for handling serious complaints from the individual services.
