A 19-year-old soldier took her own life after ‘relentless sexual harassment’ by a senior member of staff, a report has found. Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021.
An Army investigation found ‘an intense period of unwelcome behaviour’ was almost certainly ‘a causal factor in her death’, reports the BBC. The report being published on Wednesday says Jaysley was harassed for two months before her death.
The report said the behaviour ‘had taken a significant toll on her mental resilience and well-being’. An inquest will be held into Jaysley’s death at a future date. The report claims Jaysley was harassed by someone senior to her, who is not named, who wanted a relationship. She already had a boyfriend and was not interested.
The person sent her more than 1,000 WhatsApp messages and voicemails in one month – then 3,500 the month after. The report describes controlling behaviour in the messages. Before her death, she messaged the man to say: “I can’t handle it any more. It’s weighing me down.”
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Jaysley had completed her initial training at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate before continuing her military career at Larkhill in 2020. Her family have ties to the Bradford area.
The family’s lawyer, Emma Norton, from the Centre for Military Justice, said: “It’s very significant that the Army is admitting that the sexual harassment this young woman was subjected to in the months before she died was a causal factor in her death. I am not aware of another case where this has been admitted. This is obviously of enormous concern to the family.”
The man made sure he and Jaysley were assigned tasks together. She feared he was tracking her via her phone. At one point she called her dad in distress and a friend found her ‘trembling and shaking’. Jaysley had joined the Army when she was 16. Jaysley’s mum, Leighann McCready, told the BBC: “You think the easiest solution is to block him but you can’t just block your boss.”
She added: “She was fed up with his behaviour. It started ruining a job that she really enjoyed doing.” Jaysley had also reported a sexual assault by another of her seniors. The report says: “The chain of command took the incident seriously, but the evidence suggests that the correct reporting process was not followed.”
An Army spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Gunner Jaysley-Louise Beck’s family and friends at this difficult time”.
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