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A 19-year-old Royal Artillery soldier, Gunner Jaysley Beck, was found dead in her room at the Larkhill army camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021. An inquest into her death recently revealed that Ms Beck had previously complained about a senior officer, Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, who allegedly pinned her down and tried to kiss her during a team-building exercise at Thorney Island in Hampshire in July 2021.
Ms Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, had also testified that her daughter felt unsafe at work, and an internal Army report later found that Beck had suffered relentless sexual harassment before her death. The inquest heard that Ms Beck had received over 3,600 messages from another soldier, Bombardier Ryan Mason, in November 2021, which her mother described as "psychotic and possessive" behaviour."
An army service inquiry report, released in October 2023, shed light on the circumstances surrounding the young soldier's death. The report characterised the period of relentless messaging from Bombardier Ryan Mason as "an intense period of unwelcome behaviour" and concluded that it was "almost certain" that this harassment contributed to her death.
In one message to Gunner Beck, on October 21, Mason wrote: "Love you Jayse. As a friend."
Then on November 11, he wrote, "You're amazing Jayse, I appreciate you so much, I love everything about you, even your flaws. I will always be there along for the ride with you, I have said it before but you're stuck with me forever now. I love you as a friend, I love you." On
On November 25, Gunner Beck wrote to Mr Mason, telling him the situation was "becoming a bit too much" and "weighing me down".
Leighann McCready revealed that her daughter had become increasingly unsettled by these messages. According to McCready, Mr Mason was taking advantage of Ms Beck's friendly nature, crossing boundaries and making her feel uncomfortable.
Further, the report suggested that the earlier incident at Thorney Island, where Ms Beck was allegedly assaulted by BSM Michael Webber, may have had a profound impact on her willingness to report subsequent incidents. Lance Bombardier Kirsty Davis recounted that she received 20 missed calls from Ms Beck before they finally spoke, and during their conversation, she revealed that a traumatic incident had occurred earlier that night.
According to Ms Davis, Ms Beck said that after a gathering had dwindled, she was left alone with BSM Michael Webber, who attempted to kiss her despite her protests. Webber allegedly pinned Ms Beck down, ignoring her attempts to push him away. Ms Beck told Ms Davis that Webber had tried to force himself on her multiple times.
The conversation left her in tears, visibly upset and frightened. Ms Davis also recalled that Beck was reluctant to end the phone call, which lasted throughout the night and expressed concern that Webber might come to her car.
In her testimony, Leighann McCready revealed that her daughter had called her just eight days before her death while staying at a hotel in Newbury for work. During the call, Ms Beck expressed her growing paranoia, believing that Bombardier Ryan Mason had tracked her phone and was eavesdropping on her conversations.
McCready shared that Ms Beck felt utterly "freaked out" by Mason's behaviour, which had escalated to the point where she felt trapped and helpless.
A drafted text to Mason, that she did not end up sending, reads, "I have tried to act as normal as possible because we are working together, but nothing [is] normal about this situation. It's possessive and psychotic, you have to understand it's not normal behaviour. I am struggling to deal with all of this. It's taking a huge toll on my mental health for many personal reasons. I need time out."