Teen soldier Jaysley Beck phoned a colleague, “frightened and in tears”, to allege a senior officer had pinned her down and attempted to kiss her, an inquest has heard.
The 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner was found dead at Wiltshire’s Larkhill Camp on 15 December 2021.
In July of that year, she had made a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber during a stay at Hampshire’s Thorney Island for an adventure training exercise, the inquest into her death has heard.
Lance Bombardier Kirsty Davis was a gunner at the time of the alleged incident. Earlier, she had trained with Gunner Beck at Harrogate when they both joined the army.
She told the inquest that Gunner Beck had called her in the middle of the night to tell her that “something happened that night”.
Lance Bombardier Davis said she was told “they were all having a few drinks, someone tried it on with her (Beck)”.
The inquest heard that Lance Bombardier Davis made a statement saying “he was trying to kiss her and she was trying to push him away, he was pinning her down”.
The hearing was also told of a message sent by Gunner Beck which stated that he was “grabbing the back of my neck for a kiss”.
Lance Bombardier Davis told the inquest that she was on a “sleeping guard” at an airfield elsewhere and had 20 missed calls from Gunner Beck before she spoke to her.
She said Gunner Beck did not want her to end the phone call and it lasted “all night”.
She added: “I think she was afraid he was going to come to the car.”
She said in her statement: “I remember him saying she was amazing and beautiful. I know this because Jaysley hated compliments and it made her feel awkward.”
She added that Gunner Beck told her he “tried to force himself on her more than once, a few times. Jaysley had told him no, tried to get away from him but he had persisted so she left.
“I do not know if he actually kissed her or tried to, I do not remember if Jaysley said he had touched her or not.
“Jaysley was in tears, she was upset. I think she was just frightened at what was going on and she was crying, just a little bit.”
The inquest heard that Mr Webber, who is now at Warrant Officer 2 rank, was made subject to a “minor sanction” after Gunner Beck made a complaint and he wrote a letter of apology to her.
Lance Bombardier Davis said in her statement: “Jaysley wasn’t happy with what had happened but if you are in the Army and a lower rank, no-one will believe you, especially against a higher rank.
“She didn’t want to get into trouble or cause a drama.”
She told the hearing that Gunner Beck did not want to take the matter further so “nothing would happen to him or his job as she didn’t want to suffer any backlash from it”.
The inquest has also heard that Gunner Beck received thousands of messages from another senior colleague, Bombardier Ryan Mason, whom she described as being “psychotic and possessive”.
An Army service inquiry report published in October 2023 described this as “an intense period of unwelcome behaviour” and said it was “almost certain this was a causal factor” in her death.
The report also said the Thorney Island incident was “possibly a factor that may have influenced her failure to report other events that happened subsequently”.
The report added that family issues, including a bereavement, were also responsible for Gunner Beck’s death, which her family reject.
It detailed three “contributory factors” to Gunner Beck’s death – the “significant strain” of a sexual relationship with a married colleague in the last few weeks of her life; a relationship that ended in November 2021 which involved “repeated allegations of unfaithfulness on the part of the boyfriend”; and an “unhealthy approach to alcohol, with episodes of binge-drinking”.
It added that Gunner Beck had no diagnosed mental health conditions and had not sought welfare support from anyone in the Army.
Major James Hook, who had organised the Thorney Island event which included a kitesurfing course, told the hearing that Gunner Beck had made a complaint to him on the following morning that WO2 (Warrant Officer Class 2) Webber “had made a pass at her”.
He said that he accepted she had made an allegation of a “physical” pass at her and he asked her what she wanted to happen.
Major Hook, who was a captain at the time, said: “She said she wanted nothing bad to happen to him and his career.”
He said he then asked her what did she want and she replied: “All I want is to be sent back to Thornhill.”
Major Hook said that Gunner Beck had not been enjoying the kitesurfing course and added: “I thought there was a possibility that she was trying to generate a situation where she would be removed from Thorney Island and returned to Larkhill.”
When asked by coroner Nicholas Rheinberg if he had taken an opportunity for the allegation to be “swept under the carpet”, Major Hook replied: “There was absolutely no motive to protect anybody who was accused.”
Mr Rheinberg asked: “It would be a huge scandal that would affect the reputation of your regiment?”
Major Hook replied: “Yes.”
The coroner also asked: “Was it a relief to you when Gunner Beck said to you that she didn’t want the regimental battery sergeant major to get into trouble?”
Major Hook replied: “Absolutely not, that didn’t cross my mind at all.”
The hearing continues.
