Featured Image Credit: Family handout
Topics: Crime, UK News, Mental Health, Court, Military
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Crime, UK News, Mental Health, Court, Military
A man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 19-year-old soldier has been sentenced, with the teenager's mother addressing the court beforehand.
Last month, Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber admitted to sexually assaulting Jaysley Beck in July 2021. During the incident, Webber engaged Gunner Beck in a drinking game called Last Man Standing before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her.
The ordeal was not reported to the police, but Beck did raise a complaint with her superiors the following day.
Tragically, a few months after the assault, the teenager took her own life.
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Now Webber, who has since left the army, has been sentenced, and Beck's father, Anthony Beck, addressed the court beforehand.
He said, as per BBC News: "When Jaysley told me what Michael Webber did, it made me sick. He was twice her age, she trusted him and he took advantage of her trust."
"She became quieter, stopped trusting people and it was awful to see that light go out in her," the grieving father added.
Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, also addressed the court, as she said: "That assault shattered her faith in the setup that was supposed to look after her.
"I truly believe how it was handled broke something inside her she couldn't repair."
Webber has now been sentenced to six months in prison.
Speaking to Webber, Judge Advocate General Alan Large said to him: "At some point in the early hours of July 13, you told Gunner Beck she was beautiful, you put your hand on the back of her head, you leant in to kiss her and you touched her thigh.
“She had the courage and good sense to tell you to stop and told you to go to bed, but you persisted to the extent she considered she wouldn’t be safe from you even if she went back to her own accommodation."
Leighann issued a statement after Webber admitted guilt last month and said the family were 'relieved'.
"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 said.
The heartbroken mom went on: "It’s hard to believe it has taken so long for there to be any accountability for this crime. Jaysley did everything right.
"She reported the assault immediately, not once but twice. First to her captain who dismissed and dissuaded her from going further. And even then, she went over his head and reported it up the chain. But her chain of command still failed her."
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org