A disgraced former Sergeant Major has admitted to sexually assaulting a teenage female soldier who later killed herself. The Army is being accused of covering it up.
On December 15, 2021, 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was found hanged in her bed at Larkhill Camp, which is near Salisbury in Wiltshire.
An inquest heard in February of this year that her death came after she filed a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber for pinning her down and trying to kiss her.
At a pre-trial hearing, Webber, who was stationed at the same base, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault.
Jaysley’s family is happy with the guilty plea, but they stated, “Nothing can bring back our beautiful daughter.”
And their lawyer answered the plea by claiming again that the military chain of command was bad and that more should have been done to look into Jaysley’s accusations.
The inquest in February found that she had killed herself after making a complaint against Webber, who was accused of pinning her down, trying to kiss her, and putting his hand between her legs during a work social gathering.
Leighann McCready, Jaysley’s mother, subsequently said that she had to beg to visit her daughter’s room after she died. When she eventually got permission, she found a tragic note hidden in the young recruit’s chamber.
Michael Webber, a former Battery Sergeant Major, has admitted to sexually assaulting Gunner Jaysley Beck, who killed herself at the age of 19.
Michael Webber, a warrant officer who has already left the Army, will be sentenced at a later date after entering his plea at a pre-trial hearing on Friday, September 5, 2025.
Michael Webber, a warrant officer who has since left the Army, will be sentenced at a later date after pleading guilty at a pre-trial hearing on September 5, 2021.
On December 15, 2021, Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead in her room at Larkhill Camp, which is near Salisbury in Wiltshire.
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Ms. McCready has blamed the Army for Jaysley’s death and said following the February inquiry, “I think it was a cover-up.” At this inquest, it was evident that the army knew what had happened but didn’t take Jaysley’s allegation seriously and even tried to convince her to change her testimony.
She later told the Sunday Times that Webber’s letter, which was sent when he was 39, admitted to an event that happened on July 12, 2021, and called his own behavior “absolutely unacceptable.”
He ended by saying, “My door will always open,” which Ms. McCready said her daughter thought was rude.
Gunner Beck told military leaders that Webber had informed her he had been “waiting for a moment for them to be alone,” then played a drinking game with her called Last Man Standing before grabbing her leg and trying to kiss her.
During an inquest in February, it was said that she pushed him away and left the room. Then she spent the night in her car and complained to her bosses the next morning while she was on an adventurous training exercise at Thorney Island, near Emsworth, Hampshire.
Webber was later interviewed about the work social event incident as part of a “minor administrative action,” and there were no further penalties.
In May 2022, he was advanced to the rank of Warrant Officer 1 (WO1), which is the highest rank in the Army for someone who is not an officer.
Webber, who is no longer in the service, is now waiting for his sentence after pleading guilty last Friday.
Parents Anthony Beck and Leighann McCready outside Salisbury and Swindon Coroners Court, Salisbury, and Swindon Coroners Court, Swindon Anthony Beck and Leighann McCready outside the Salisbury and Swindon Coroners Court in Wiltshire for the February 2025 inquest into Jaysley’s death
An inquiry heard from testimony that men soldiers at Larkhill had inappropriate sexual behavior against their female coworkers.
EXCLUSIVE
Teen soldier’s mother says Army is “covering up” mistreatment that “hounded her to death” by superiors.
Ms. McCready said in a statement after he pleaded guilt, “We are relieved that Michael Webber has admitted his guilt and not put us through the trauma of more legal proceedings, but nothing can undo the terrible loss of our beautiful daughter Jaysley.”
She said her daughter did “everything right” by reporting the attack “immediately, not once but twice,” yet senior Army officials didn’t tell the police.
Ms. McCready said, “We believe with all our hearts that she would still be with us today if they had done that one simple thing.”
Emma Norton, the family’s lawyer, stated, “It would have made a huge difference if the Army and its chain of command had just listened to Jaysley when she first told them about the attack and called the police instead of trying to convince her it wasn’t that serious.”
After the inquest in February and a request from Gunner Beck’s family to Wiltshire Police, a file was handed to the Service Prosecuting Authority. They then prosecuted Webber with sexual assault.
The coroner at the earlier hearing heard that Gunner Beck was traumatized not only by Webber’s attack but also by the actions of three other officers. One of them she had a long-distance affair with, another bombarded her with WhatsApp messages, and the third she hung out with the night she died.
Brigadier Melissa Emmett, head of the Army Personnel Services Group, said in a statement after the inquest’s verdict in February: “On behalf of the Chief of the General Staff, I want to extend the Army’s deepest condolences to Jaysley’s family and friends and to apologize for the mistakes that the Coroner has pointed out during this inquest.”
“We should have done so much more to help and protect her.”
Gunner Jaysley Beck died at her base in Wiltshire in 2021. She joined the military when she was 16.
She killed herself because she was being “relentlessly” harassed while she was in the military.
EXCLUSIVE: The four guys who “preyed” on a teenage girl who was pushed to her death in the Army have been named.
The Army needed people like Jaysley, and she was doing a great job. Her friends said she was nice, witty, and always placed others before herself.
In the three years since Jaysley’s tragic death, the Army has made a lot of changes. For example, they have made it plain that there will be Zero Tolerance for improper sexual behaviors.
“These reforms are being made a part of our culture, regulations, and long-term practices in every element of the Army.
“We still have a lot of work to do, and the evidence heard in this inquest reminds us how crucial it is to implement changes that last and work.
“I hope that this change will give service members the courage to report sexual crimes and other bad behavior, knowing that they will be heard.”
“We are very clear that everyone has to help create and maintain the professional and respectful environment we all need to succeed.”
After Webber’s guilty plea and the family’s complaints, the Daily Mail has asked the Army for more comments and answers.
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