EX-ARMY SERGEANT JAILED FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING SOLDIER, 19, WHO TOOK HER OWN LIFE
A former senior non-commissioned Army officer who sexually assaulted a teenage soldier who later took her own life has been sentenced to six months in prison.Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, pleaded guilty to the attack on Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, from Cumbria, during a stay at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.
He appeared before Bulford Military Court today (October 31) and was sentenced by Judge Advocate General Alan Large and a military board.
During the incident, Webber engaged Gunner Beck in a drinking game called Last Man Standing before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her.
Gunner Beck pushed Webber away and spent the night locked in her car before reporting the incident to her superiors.
The incident was not reported to police, and Webber wrote a letter of apology.
She was found dead five months later.
The inquest concluded that the Army’s failure to act contributed to her death.
Webber's actions, the court heard, included fine details of inappropriate conduct and persistent behaviour despite her objections.
He was found guilty of sexual assault in August and accepted responsibility, expressing remorse.
The court sentenced him to six months in prison.
Victim statements from Jaysley Beck’s family highlighted the profound impact of his actions, and his military career was described as otherwise exemplary.
