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A former Army sergeant major has been sentenced to six months in custody for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old soldier who afterwards died by suicide.

Warrant Officer the former sergeant, in his forties, held down service member the victim and tried to force a kiss on her in mid-2021. She was discovered deceased several months after in her quarters at Larkhill military installation.

The defendant, who was sentenced at the Court Martial Centre in Wiltshire recently, will be sent to a public jail and registered as offender database for a seven-year period.

The victim's mother the mother remarked: "The assault, and how the military neglected to defend our young woman following the incident, resulted in her suicide."

Military Response

The military leadership acknowledged it failed to hear Gunner Beck, who was hailing from Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she disclosed the incident and has apologised for its handling of her allegations.

After a formal inquiry regarding Gunner Beck's death, the accused admitted to the offense of physical violation in last fall.

Ms McCready stated her young woman should have been alongside her loved ones in court this day, "to witness the individual she reported brought to justice for the assault."

"Conversely, we appear missing her, enduring endless sorrow that no family should be forced to endure," she added.

"She adhered to protocols, but the individuals in charge failed in their duties. Such negligence destroyed our daughter completely."

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Court Proceedings

The court was advised that the assault took place during an adventure training exercise at the exercise site, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in mid-2021.

The sergeant, a ranking soldier at the period, attempted physical intimacy towards the soldier after an social gathering while on assignment for a field training.

The victim testified the sergeant stated he had been "seeking a chance for them to be by themselves" before making physical contact, restraining her, and trying to kiss her.

She filed a complaint against the sergeant following the violation, despite attempts by military leadership to persuade her not to.

An official inquiry into her suicide found the armed forces' response of the complaint played "more than a minimal role in her demise."

Parent's Account

In a testimony shared to the court earlier, Ms McCready, stated: "The young woman had just turned a teenager and will eternally stay a young person full of life and laughter."

"She had faith individuals to safeguard her and post-incident, the faith was lost. She was extremely troubled and fearful of the sergeant."

"I saw the difference firsthand. She felt vulnerable and abandoned. That incident destroyed her faith in the system that was intended to look after her."

Sentencing Remarks

During sentencing, The judicial officer Alan Large said: "We must evaluate whether it can be dealt with in an alternative approach. We do not consider it can."

"We conclude the seriousness of the violation means it can only be resolved by prison time."

He spoke to Webber: "She had the bravery and wisdom to tell you to stop and told you to leave the area, but you carried on to the point she considered she would remain in danger from you even when she returned to her assigned barracks."

He continued: "The next morning, she disclosed the assault to her relatives, her acquaintances and her chain of command."

"After the complaint, the unit chose to handle the situation with minor administrative action."

"You were interviewed and you accepted your behavior had been unacceptable. You wrote a written apology."

"Your military service advanced completely unaffected and you were in due course elevated to senior position."

Background Information

At the inquest into the soldier's suicide, the coroner said a commanding officer influenced her to drop the allegations, and just informed it to a superior officers "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the time, Webber was given a "minor administrative action interview" with no additional penalties.

The inquest was further advised that just weeks after the incident Gunner Beck had additionally been facing "persistent mistreatment" by a different service member.

A separate service member, her line manager, transmitted to her more than 4,600 text messages confessing his feelings for her, accompanied by a multi-page "personal account" detailing his "imagined scenarios."

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Official Statement

The military leadership expressed it provided its "heartfelt apologies" to the servicewoman and her loved ones.

"We continue to be profoundly sorry for the shortcomings that were identified at Jaysley's inquest in early this year."

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