Life in the military can be tough but Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, faced a different kind of toughness when she was found dead by suicide at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021.
She allegedly received several “unwelcome” texts in addition to other “intense” and unwanted behavior from high-ranking officers, and the coroner seconded these allegations with proof.
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TW: This article contains depictions or discussions of suicide and may be triggering to some readers.
The coroner’s findings
The coroner concluded that Beck was assaulted by a senior colleague. Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, now has a Warrant Officer 2 rank, was in turn given a “minor sanction” for his actions.
The coroner also emphasized that the army breached their policies as the incidents should have been reported to police, but that wasn’t the case.
He believed that the assault played a part in her suicide
Mr Nicholas Rheinberg, assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon summarized the Salisbury inquest, saying:
“I find on the balance of probabilities that the complaint should not have been dealt with by minor administrative action, by following this route it breached Army policy as it was a sexual assault carried out on a 19-year-old Gunner by a middle-aged man of senior rank and was recorded merely as inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a warrant officer.”
Her death is on Ryan Mason
Mr Rheinberg clarified that Mason, an ex-bombardier, sent 1,000 messages to Beck in October 2021 and 3,600 in November, saying:
“Jaysley described the bombardier’s conduct as creepy and ultimately as frightening. Rightly or wrongly she felt he was tracking her by her phone, the bombardier denied this and I find it unlikely.”
Mason was manipulating Beck
The coroner believed that Mason was outright manipulating Beck with his mental health issues since he had suicidal thoughts.
The army agreed that Mason’s actions brought on “unwelcome sexual attention” and “harassment.”
The head of the Army Personnel Services Group also weighed in
Brigadier Melissa Emmett weighed in with her take during the inquest, agreeing that the army did Beck wrong, saying: “We let her down in so many ways for which we have already apologised, and if I can apologise again, for what it’s worth, I would do.”
Gunner Beck was intoxicated before her death
The coroner emphasized that despite Beck having alcohol levels three times over the legal drink-drive limit at the time of her death, he believed that she was aware of her actions prior to her death.
“My conclusion is she died by suicide. I am satisfied Jaysley undertook the physical actions that resulted in her death by hanging, the inevitable consequences must have been known to Jaysley despite the level of alcohol she had consumed. I am satisfied she intended to die,” the coroner explained.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
