Jaysley Beck’s mother says ‘no apology will bring her back’

The mother of a teenage soldier who took her own life following relentless harassment says no apology from the Army “will ever bring our daughter back”.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was found hanged in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021, following a work Christmas party.

Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg ruled the Army’s failure to take action after Gunner Beck was harassed by her line manager contributed to her death.

She had also been sexually assaulted by another senior colleague, and the Army’s failure to take appropriate action “more than minimally” contributed to her death.

At the inquest’s conclusion on Thursday, Mr Rheinberg determined Gunner Beck had intended to take her own life as a result of these “frightening” incidents.

He concluded: “I find there was a failure on behalf of army to take action over the harassment she was suffering from her line manager.

“And there was a failure on behalf of the army to take action against the senior officer at whose hands she’d suffered a sexual assault.”

He ruled the complaint “should have been reported to police and the failure to do so breached Army policy”.

“It was a sexual assault carried out on a 19-year-old Gunner by a middle-aged man of senior rank, and was recorded merely as inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a warrant officer,” he added.

Brigadier Melissa Emmett, head of the Army personnel services group, formally accepted failures were made and apologised to Gunner Beck’s grieving family.

Following the coroner’s conclusion, she said “significant changes” have been made within the Army, including the “introduction of clear and unequivocal policies to state that there will be zero tolerance to unacceptable sexual behaviours”.

She added: “There is more work to do.

“It is my hope that such change will give service personnel the confidence they need to report sexual offences and inappropriate behaviours, knowing that they will be listened to.”

However, Gunner Beck’s mother Leighann McCready said “true accountability” could only be achieved with independent scrutiny.

“Things need to change. The Army cannot be allowed to investigate itself anymore when it comes to cases of sexual harassment, assault, bullying and abuse,” she said.

“The Army has admitted that it let Jaysley down, and has apologised for its failings – but no apology will ever bring our daughter back.

“Too often service women, and men, don’t feel able to speak up out of fear of being victimised, and even when they do, the Army is left to investigate itself.

“This cannot continue. Jaysley should still be here, we will not stop fighting until immediate action is taken.”

Mr Rheinberg said he would not prepare a report to prevent future deaths as he had been “reassured” by the Army, including from Brigadier Emmett’s evidence, that “matters are currently under review and revision”.

Public speaker Gemma Morgan, who served in the military from 1996 to 2002, said she recognised the torment endured by Gunner Beck.

She told BBC Radio 4 she had just returned from an operational tour and was experiencing a “severe trauma response” as she grappled with the harrowing scenes she had witnessed.

Following a night of social drinking, Ms Morgan was raped by one of her colleagues.

“It made me quite vulnerable in an environment that to be honest I’d gotten used to, but really it was very predatory,” she said.

“When I asked for help in the medical centre the next day, no help was given. It was absolutely devastating.”

Ms Morgan described in her book Pink Camouflage how her “promising career” and mental health “completely spiralled” as a result.

“It’s taken me 25 years to speak out about the relentless sexual harassment and abuse that I and other women experienced,” she said.

“My view is that [military] defence have a deeply ingrained cultural problem where harassment and abuse is commonplace.

“We need to do better, we have to go beyond words and take real, measurable action.

“That starts with defence accepting they have a problem, and having the humility to work with the experts to create much needed change.”

POOL INTERVIEW (PART DONE)

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“She was just a beautiful, kind, genuinely caring girl. Always full of life, witty, always put others before herself, and a true family girl.

“Throughout Jaysley’s Army career we were in contact with her daily, up to possibly 10 times a day, if not more.

“The first time the sexual harassment because apparent was Thorney Island. She phoned us distraught. She said ‘mum, this man has put his arm around my neck and tried to pull me towards him, and also tried to put his hands between my legs’.

“She said ‘get off me, Sir’, because even when she was going through this she still had the respect to call him Sir.

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