Nov 2, 2025 06:20 PM
‘British Armed Forces still not safe for women four years after my daughter killed herself after sexual assault’
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/cr...56241.html
EXCERPTS: Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck’s body was found at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021 – five months after the 19-year-old was sexually assaulted by Warrant Officer Michael Webber, then 39. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at the Court Martial Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire, on Friday.
Beck’s family blamed her death on the combined impact of the assault and the way it was later handled by the authorities, including the pressure put on Beck to not make a police report, which “shattered her faith in the system that was supposed to look after her”.
The court heard a service inquiry conducted in 2023 also found that Beck “had been subject to a number of inappropriate behaviours by senior personnel in months before her death”, of which Webber was only one.
[...] But almost four years later, Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, warned little had changed in the army since her daughter’s death. ... "I’m still inundated by young women saying ‘what happened to your daughter is happening to me’, and they’re still being disbelieved. [But] we are giving them the strength to continue and speak up.”
[...] Ms McCready claimed the army has been “protecting [Webber’s] identity throughout”. No custody image of Webber was released to the media after he was sentenced. The Independent has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.
“People deserve to see the man – he deserves to be out there, he deserves to be shamed,” said Ms McCready. The family are calling for independent bodies to be introduced to handle complaints, warning: “The army can’t keep on marking its own homework.”
In the meantime, Ms McCready said in a message to young women: “Until real change has been made, don’t join the army. They’re still failing us.”
[...] Major General Jon Swift, assistant chief of the general staff (ACGS), said on Friday: “We will always be profoundly sorry for the failings that were identified at Jaysley’s inquest in February. ... We are determined to make sure the same mistakes don’t happen again. Since Jaysley’s death, we have introduced a significant cultural reform programme, alongside the ‘Raising our Standards’ programme. We are making improvements in how we train our people in appropriate behaviours, how we assess and select our leaders, and to build the trust our people place in us to address every complaint.” (MORE - missing details)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/cr...56241.html
EXCERPTS: Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck’s body was found at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021 – five months after the 19-year-old was sexually assaulted by Warrant Officer Michael Webber, then 39. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at the Court Martial Centre in Bulford, Wiltshire, on Friday.
Beck’s family blamed her death on the combined impact of the assault and the way it was later handled by the authorities, including the pressure put on Beck to not make a police report, which “shattered her faith in the system that was supposed to look after her”.
The court heard a service inquiry conducted in 2023 also found that Beck “had been subject to a number of inappropriate behaviours by senior personnel in months before her death”, of which Webber was only one.
[...] But almost four years later, Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, warned little had changed in the army since her daughter’s death. ... "I’m still inundated by young women saying ‘what happened to your daughter is happening to me’, and they’re still being disbelieved. [But] we are giving them the strength to continue and speak up.”
[...] Ms McCready claimed the army has been “protecting [Webber’s] identity throughout”. No custody image of Webber was released to the media after he was sentenced. The Independent has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.
“People deserve to see the man – he deserves to be out there, he deserves to be shamed,” said Ms McCready. The family are calling for independent bodies to be introduced to handle complaints, warning: “The army can’t keep on marking its own homework.”
In the meantime, Ms McCready said in a message to young women: “Until real change has been made, don’t join the army. They’re still failing us.”
[...] Major General Jon Swift, assistant chief of the general staff (ACGS), said on Friday: “We will always be profoundly sorry for the failings that were identified at Jaysley’s inquest in February. ... We are determined to make sure the same mistakes don’t happen again. Since Jaysley’s death, we have introduced a significant cultural reform programme, alongside the ‘Raising our Standards’ programme. We are making improvements in how we train our people in appropriate behaviours, how we assess and select our leaders, and to build the trust our people place in us to address every complaint.” (MORE - missing details)