🔗 Share this article Ex- Sergeant Jailed for Sexual Assault on 19-Year-Old Soldier Personal Photograph The Soldier was located without life in her military quarters at Larkhill facilities in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021 An ex- Army sergeant major has been sentenced to 180 days in prison for sexually assaulting a young gunner who afterwards died by suicide. Sergeant Major Michael Webber, forty-three, pinned down soldier the victim and tried to force a kiss on her in the summer of 2021. She was discovered deceased five months later in her barracks at the Wiltshire base. The convicted individual, who was judged at the legal proceedings in the Wiltshire region recently, will be transferred to a correctional facility and listed on sexual offenders list for seven years. The victim's mother the mother remarked: "The assault, and how the military neglected to defend our daughter subsequently, cost Jaysley her life." Army Statement The Army said it did not listen to the soldier, who was a native of Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she disclosed the incident and has said sorry for its response to her report. Following an inquest into Gunner Beck's death, the accused confessed to a single charge of sexual assault in September. The mother commented her daughter should have been alongside her loved ones in the courtroom this day, "to witness the man she filed against brought to justice for the assault." "Rather, we appear in her absence, living a life sentence that no loved ones should ever have to face," she continued. "She adhered to protocols, but those responsible failed in their duties. These shortcomings broke our young woman utterly." News Agency Gunner Beck's mum, the mother, expressed her daughter felt 'vulnerable and abandoned' Court Proceedings The court was informed that the assault happened during an military training at the training location, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in summer 2021. The sergeant, a senior officer at the period, initiated inappropriate contact towards the servicewoman following an alcohol consumption while on assignment for a military exercise. Gunner Beck testified Webber said he had been "seeking a chance for them to be by themselves" before grabbing her leg, pinning her down, and making unwanted advances. She made official allegations against the sergeant following the assault, notwithstanding efforts by commanding officers to convince her against reporting. An inquest into her passing found the Army's handling of the report played "more than a minimal contributing factor in her suicide." Mother's Testimony In a testimony read out to the court during proceedings, Ms McCready, stated: "Our daughter had only become 19 and will forever remain a youth full of energy and happiness." "She trusted authorities to protect her and post-incident, the confidence was lost. She was very upset and scared of the sergeant." "I witnessed the change personally. She felt powerless and betrayed. That incident broke her trust in the system that was meant to protect her." Judge's Statement During sentencing, Judge Advocate General Alan Large remarked: "We need to assess whether it can be dealt with in a different manner. We do not believe it can." "We have determined the seriousness of the offence means it can only be resolved by immediate custody." He addressed the defendant: "The victim had the courage and good sense to instruct you to cease and directed you to go to bed, but you carried on to the degree she felt she could not feel secure from you despite the fact she went back to her personal quarters." He added: "The next morning, she made the complaint to her relatives, her companions and her chain of command." "After the complaint, the command decided to address your behavior with light disciplinary measures." "You were subject to inquiry and you accepted your actions had been improper. You composed a letter of apology." "Your professional path proceeded completely unaffected and you were eventually advanced to Warrant Officer 1." Additional Context At the investigation into Gunner Beck's death, the investigating officer said a commanding officer put pressure on her to withdraw the complaint, and just informed it to a military leadership "after information had leaked." At the time, the sergeant was given a "minor administrative action interview" with no additional penalties. The inquest was also told that just weeks after the incident the soldier had additionally been subjected to "continuous bullying" by another soldier. Another soldier, her line manager, transmitted to her more than 4,600 digital communications confessing his feelings for her, in addition to a fifteen-page "romantic narrative" outlining his "fantasies about her." Personal collection An inquest into the soldier's suicide found the armed forces' response of her allegations played "an important role in her demise" Organizational Reaction The military leadership expressed it provided its "heartfelt apologies" to the servicewoman and her relatives. "We continue to be profoundly sorry for the deficiencies that were noted at the formal investigation in February." "{The end of|The conclusion of|The completion