Mother of soldier who took own life due to harassment recalls heartbreaking comment before she signed up
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The mother of a deceased 19-year-old soldier has revealed what she said before her daughter signed up join the army.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021 after she'd tragically taken her own life.
An inquest into her passing discovered that Beck was subject to an 'intense period of unwelcome behaviour' from her boss, Bombardier Ryan Mason, which involved sending her 3,600 texts in just one month, professing his love for her, with Beck believing that he had hacked her phone.
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It was also discovered that Beck filed an official complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber after he tried to force her down and kiss her after a work function in the summer of 2021.
The latter has recently admitted to sexually assaulting the then-teenage soldier, pleading guilty to one count of sexual assault during his pre-trial hearing on Friday (5 September).
Webber has now left the army and awaits his sentencing, with Beck's mother, Leighann McCready telling the BBC: "We are relieved that Michael Webber has admitted his guilt and not put us through the trauma of yet more legal proceedings, but nothing can undo the devastating loss of our beautiful daughter Jaysley.
"She reported the assault immediately, not once but twice."
But in a new interview with the DailyMail, McCready spoke about the worries and reservations she had with her daughter joining the army at all, remembering the terror she felt when Beck told her she wanted to sign up.
"I just said, 'I can't do it love, I just can't.' I said, 'What if something ever happens to you?'" The mum recalled asking.
She went on: "And she went, 'Well, I'll be serving our country; there's a chance something could happen to me. But [if it did], I would be proud that I'd served.'"
At the time, Beck had just finished her GCSEs and was aged 16 when she left and started her military career at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
But just days before Christmas 2021, a woman who was claimed to never have any mental health issues was found to have taken her own life at her barracks.
Many believe the case has highlighted systematic issues in the military that had left Beck feeling so alone and down, with her mum claiming: "The army has cost me the loss of my daughter. Had the proper procedure been followed, my daughter would still be alive today."
Despite Beck reporting Webber's assault, it's said that he put his hand between her legs and tried to kiss her, though his punishment was to compose a handwritten apology letter.
He would soon be promoted to the highest rank available to a non-commissioned officer, with the incident being branded as 'inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a warrant officer'.
Apparently, pressure was put on Beck to drop the allegations, with the coroner stating that the case was reported higher 'when the cat was already out of the bag'.
It was also said during the inquest that a 'miscommunication' meant that details of Webber attempting to 'put his hand between Beck's legs' were lost.
"What an enormous difference it would have made if the army and its chain of command had just listened to Jaysley when she first told them about the assault and reported it to the police, instead of trying to persuade her it wasn't that serious," solicitor Emma Norton, who is acting on behalf of Beck's family, stated.
The Army has since stated that they 'could have, and should have done more', adding that clear policies had been implemented, which would have 'zero tolerance to unacceptable sexual behaviours'.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Joshua Nair