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A former service sergeant has been given half a year in custody for sexually assaulting a young gunner who subsequently ended her life.

Sergeant Major Michael Webber, 43, held down service member Jaysley Beck and attempted to force a kiss on her in mid-2021. She was found dead half a year following in her quarters at Larkhill military installation.

The defendant, who was sentenced at the military court in Wiltshire previously, will be placed in a correctional facility and registered as sex offenders register for a seven-year period.

The family matriarch Ms. Mcready stated: "What he [Webber] did, and how the armed forces neglected to defend our young woman subsequently, led to her death."

Military Response

The Army said it did not listen to Gunner Beck, who was originally from Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she reported the assault and has said sorry for its response to her complaint.

Subsequent to a formal inquiry regarding the tragic death, the defendant admitted to a single charge of unwanted sexual advance in last fall.

The mother said her daughter could have been alongside her relatives in the courtroom this day, "to see the person she filed against facing consequences for his actions."

"Instead, we are present in her absence, enduring endless sorrow that no family should ever experience," she continued.

"She complied with procedures, but those responsible didn't follow theirs. Such negligence shattered our child completely."

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Legal Hearing

The judicial body was advised that the violation took place during an adventure training exercise at the training location, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.

Webber, a ranking soldier at the period, made a sexual advance towards Gunner Beck after an social gathering while on deployment for a training exercise.

Gunner Beck claimed Webber said he had been "seeking a chance for them to be alone" before taking hold of her, pinning her down, and making unwanted advances.

She made official allegations against the sergeant following the assault, despite attempts by military leadership to convince her against reporting.

An inquest into her passing found the Army's handling of the allegations played "a significant contributing factor in her suicide."

Family Statement

In a account read out to the court earlier, the parent, stated: "Our daughter had just turned 19 and will eternally stay a youth full of life and laughter."

"She had faith people to defend her and post-incident, the trust was lost. She was extremely troubled and scared of the sergeant."

"I observed the change before my own eyes. She felt vulnerable and abandoned. That incident destroyed her faith in the structure that was supposed to safeguard her."

Sentencing Remarks

While delivering judgment, Judge Advocate General Alan Large remarked: "We have to consider whether it can be addressed in a different manner. We are not convinced it can."

"We conclude the seriousness of the crime means it can only be resolved by immediate custody."

He addressed the convicted individual: "She had the courage and good sense to demand you halt and directed you to retire for the night, but you persisted to the point she felt she would remain in danger from you even if she went back to her own accommodation."

He stated further: "The subsequent morning, she made the complaint to her family, her acquaintances and her chain of command."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the command decided to deal with you with minimal consequences."

"You underwent questioning and you admitted your actions had been unacceptable. You prepared a written apology."

"Your professional path advanced without interruption and you were subsequently promoted to senior position."

Background Information

At the investigation into the tragic passing, the investigating officer said Capt James Hook put pressure on her to drop the allegations, and merely disclosed it to a military leadership "after information had leaked."

At the moment, the sergeant was given a "minimal consequence discussion" with no further consequences.

The investigation was also told that just weeks after the incident Gunner Beck had further been exposed to "continuous bullying" by a different service member.

A separate service member, her superior officer, transmitted to her over four thousand six hundred digital communications expressing emotions for her, along with a 15-page "love story" describing his "personal thoughts."

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Official Statement

The armed forces expressed it extended its "deepest sympathies" to Gunner Beck and her family.

"We continue to be profoundly sorry for the failings that were discovered at the formal investigation in winter."

"{The end of|The conclusion of|The completion