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Family Snapshot

An ex- military sergeant has been given 180 days in prison for attacking a 19-year-old soldier who afterwards died by suicide.

Sergeant Major Michael Webber, 43, held down Royal Artillery Gunner the victim and sought to kiss her in the summer of 2021. She was located without signs of life half a year following in her quarters at the Wiltshire base.

The convicted individual, who was judged at the military court in the Wiltshire region recently, will be placed in a civilian prison and listed on offender database for seven years.

The victim's mother the mother stated: "The assault, and how the armed forces neglected to defend our young woman following the incident, cost Jaysley her life."

Military Response

The military leadership acknowledged it ignored the soldier, who was originally from Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she disclosed the incident and has expressed regret for its response to her report.

Following an inquest into the soldier's suicide, the accused pleaded guilty to the offense of physical violation in September.

The mother stated her daughter should have been sitting with her loved ones in the courtroom today, "to witness the person she reported held accountable for the assault."

"Conversely, we are present missing her, enduring endless sorrow that no loved ones should ever have to face," she added.

"She complied with procedures, but the accountable parties failed in their duties. Those failures shattered our child completely."

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Judicial Process

The legal tribunal was advised that the incident took place during an field exercise at the exercise site, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.

The accused, a Sergeant Major at the time, attempted physical intimacy towards the servicewoman following an evening of drinking while on duty for a training exercise.

The victim testified Webber said he had been "seeking a chance for them to be in private" before making physical contact, holding her against her will, and trying to kiss her.

She reported the incident against the accused after the assault, notwithstanding efforts by superiors to persuade her not to.

An official inquiry into her suicide found the military's management of the report played "a significant contributing factor in her demise."

Parent's Account

In a testimony read out to the tribunal earlier, the mother, expressed: "The young woman had just turned a teenager and will forever remain a teenager full of vitality and joy."

"She had faith authorities to protect her and post-incident, the trust was lost. She was very upset and fearful of Michael Webber."

"I witnessed the change personally. She felt powerless and betrayed. That incident broke her faith in the set-up that was meant to look after her."

Judge's Statement

During sentencing, The judicial officer the magistrate said: "We must evaluate whether it can be addressed in an alternative approach. We do not believe it can."

"We have determined the gravity of the offence means it can only be resolved by prison time."

He told the defendant: "She had the courage and good sense to instruct you to cease and directed you to leave the area, but you carried on to the degree she believed she would remain in danger from you even if she went back to her own accommodation."

He continued: "The subsequent morning, she disclosed the assault to her family, her acquaintances and her military superiors."

"After the complaint, the military unit chose to handle the situation with minor administrative action."

"You were interviewed and you admitted your actions had been inappropriate. You wrote a letter of apology."

"Your military service proceeded completely unaffected and you were subsequently elevated to senior position."

Background Information

At the investigation into Gunner Beck's death, the investigating officer said military leadership pressured her to withdraw the complaint, and only reported it to a higher command "after information had leaked."

At the period, Webber was given a "light disciplinary meeting" with no serious repercussions.

The inquest was additionally informed that mere weeks after the incident Gunner Beck had further been subjected to "continuous bullying" by a different service member.

Bombardier Ryan Mason, her line manager, directed toward her over four thousand six hundred digital communications expressing emotions for her, in addition to a multi-page "romantic narrative" outlining his "imagined scenarios."

Personal collection

Institutional Response

The military leadership expressed it provided its "deepest sympathies" to Gunner Beck and her relatives.

"We will always be deeply apologetic for the shortcomings that were discovered at Jaysley's inquest in February."

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