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A former service sergeant has been sentenced to half a year in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage servicewoman who afterwards ended her life.

Sergeant Major Michael Webber, forty-three, restrained soldier the young woman and sought to force a kiss on her in July 2021. She was discovered deceased half a year following in her quarters at Larkhill, Wiltshire.

Webber, who was judged at the legal proceedings in the Wiltshire region earlier, will be sent to a civilian prison and registered as sexual offenders list for seven years.

The victim's mother Ms. Mcready remarked: "His actions, and how the armed forces failed to protect our young woman afterwards, cost Jaysley her life."

Military Response

The Army said it did not listen to the soldier, who was a native of Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she reported the assault and has apologised for its response to her report.

Following an investigation of Gunner Beck's death, the defendant pleaded guilty to a single charge of sexual assault in September.

Ms McCready stated her child ought to have been present with her relatives in court now, "to witness the person she reported brought to justice for his actions."

"Rather, we appear without her, living a life sentence that no family should be forced to endure," she continued.

"She complied with procedures, but the individuals in charge didn't follow theirs. These shortcomings broke our young woman utterly."

PA

Judicial Process

The court was informed that the violation happened during an military training at the training location, near the Hampshire area, in mid-2021.

The sergeant, a senior officer at the time, made a sexual advance towards the servicewoman subsequent to an evening of drinking while on assignment for a field training.

The victim stated the accused said he had been "waiting for a moment for them to be in private" before grabbing her leg, pinning her down, and trying to kiss her.

She reported the incident against the accused following the incident, despite attempts by superiors to persuade her not to.

An inquest into her death found the military's management of the report played "more than a minimal role in her demise."

Family Statement

In a testimony shared to the court previously, the mother, expressed: "Our daughter had just turned a teenager and will eternally stay a teenager full of life and laughter."

"She had faith people to safeguard her and after what he did, the trust was gone. She was deeply distressed and fearful of the sergeant."

"I observed the transformation firsthand. She felt helpless and deceived. That incident broke her confidence in the system that was meant to safeguard her."

Judge's Statement

During sentencing, The presiding judge the judge stated: "We need to assess whether it can be addressed in a different manner. We are not convinced it can."

"We have determined the seriousness of the offence means it can only be addressed by prison time."

He addressed the defendant: "The servicewoman had the courage and good sense to tell you to stop and instructed you to go to bed, but you carried on to the point she believed she could not feel secure from you even if she returned to her personal quarters."

He added: "The following day, she reported the incident to her relatives, her acquaintances and her chain of command."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the unit chose to handle the situation with minimal consequences."

"You were subject to inquiry and you accepted your actions had been improper. You prepared a apology note."

"Your career continued completely unaffected and you were subsequently elevated to senior position."

Background Information

At the investigation into Gunner Beck's death, the investigating officer said Capt James Hook put pressure on her to drop the allegations, and only reported it to a superior officers "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the time, the sergeant was given a "minimal consequence discussion" with no serious repercussions.

The inquiry was further advised that just weeks after the violation the soldier had also been subjected to "persistent mistreatment" by a separate individual.

Bombardier Ryan Mason, her commanding individual, transmitted to her more than 4,600 digital communications declaring attachments for her, along with a 15-page "love story" describing his "fantasies about her."

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Official Statement

The military leadership expressed it offered its "heartfelt apologies" to Gunner Beck and her family.

"We remain profoundly sorry for the shortcomings that were noted at the official inquiry in February."

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