Army officers face court martial after death of Jaysley Beck
The 19-year-old soldier was sexually assaulted just months before she took her own life
Two British Army officers have been charged over their conduct toward Gunner Jaysley Beck.
Gunner Beck, 19, was sexually assaulted before she took her own life at Larkhill Camp, Wiltshire, in 2021.
An inquest into her death later found that the incident and the army’s failure to take appropriate action “more than minimally” contributed to her death.
It is understood that Major James Hook and Colonel Samantha Shepherd will face a court martial over their actions relating to Gunner Beck.
Former senior non-commissioned officer, 43-year-old Michael Webber, was jailed for six months by a military court in 2025 after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting Gunner Beck five months before her death.
Webber, then a battery sergeant major in the Royal Artillery, had engaged Gunner Beck in a drinking game before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her.
Gunner Beck pushed Webber away and spent the night locked in her car before making a complaint to her superiors in the morning.
However, the incident was not reported to police and Webber wrote a letter of apology to Gunner Beck. He was later promoted.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said on Friday: “Following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we can confirm two individuals have been charged with offences under Section 19, Armed Forces Act (conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline).
“It would be inappropriate to comment further as legal proceedings are ongoing.”
Since Gunner Beck’s death, the Ministry of Defence has set up a serious crime command and launched a violence against women and girls taskforce.
More recently, it has agreed in principle to remove the handling of serious complaints from the individual services.
Al Carns, minister for the armed forces, said in 2025: “I think the Gunner Beck case was a horrendous failing of the system.
“What I can tell you is in the last several years there’s been lots of changes – in the last year we’ve really made a proactive move to create the correct systems so no woman ever feels alone again in defence.”
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