Nine rapes reported at Army centre where teen soldier who ‘took her own life’ trained
In total 13 sexual offences were reported within 13 months.
Nine rapes were reported to the police at the army base where a teenage solider who took her own life trained.
Jaysley-Louise Beck did her training at Harrogate military college and reportedly had a ‘toxic’ 20-month relationship with a former instructor before taking her life aged 19 in 2021.
‘Thirteen sexual offences’ were reported at the college between July 22, 2022, and August 17, 2023, according to North Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner.
This includes nine counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of voyeurism.
The Yorkshire college was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
In 2021 nine investigations were opened into the sexual abuse of 22 recruits.
Corporal Simon Bartram was sentenced to 20 months military detention in January 2023 after being found guilty of sexual assault and eight counts of cruel or indecent disgraceful conduct.
Gunner Beck joined the army in 2019 aged 16, beginning her recruit training at Harrogate before joining the 47 regiment, Royal Artillery.
An army report has admitted Gunner Beck was the victim of sexual harassment – and that it was a ‘factor’ in her death.
Just weeks before the 19-year-old, of 14 Regiment Royal Artillery, was found dead in her room by colleagues at Larkhill Camp, she had messaged her ‘controlling’ boss to say: ‘I can’t handle it any more. It’s weighing me down.’
Gunner Beck’s heartbroken mum Leighann McCready said her daughter joined the army when she was 16 and was proud to be a soldier, but that the sexual harassment ‘started ruining a job that she really enjoyed doing’.
‘She was always down,’ Ms McCready told the BBC. ‘She was fed up with his behaviour.’
The boss in question wanted a relationship with Gunner Beck, but she did not feel the same way and also had a boyfriend, the army investigation found.
Throughout October and November 2021, he sent her more than 4,500 WhatsApp messages and voicemails, which involved controlling behaviour.
He also made it clear he did not like the thought of her being with someone else and persistently sought reassurance that she was on her own.
Gunner Beck is said to have initially regarded her boss as a friend and tried to be understanding but told him in a message one week before she died: ‘The truth is, I’m struggling to deal with all this.’
‘You think the easiest solution is to block him but you can’t just block your boss,’ Ms McCready said.
It was Ms McCready that had originally urged her daughter to report her boss’s behaviour, but she was reluctant to do so because of the way a complaint of sexual assault on her by another senior colleague had been dealt with by the army a few months before.
Gunner Beck was allegedly forced to leave an army training centre bar late at night and hide in the toilets after she was targeted.
She then slept in her car and asked one of her friends on night guard duty to ‘stay on the phone’ until she fell asleep and to ‘ring for help’ if they heard anything.
Ms McCready said her daughter called her the following day to explain what had happened and vividly recalls: ‘She said he put his hands between her legs and tried to grab her from around the neck. She shouted “get off me, Sir”.’
The report says the man involved was given a minor sanction and told to write the teenager a letter of apology.
An Army spokesperson said: ‘Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Gunner Jaysley-Louise Beck’s family and friends at this difficult time.’
They added that it would be ‘inappropriate’ to comment further until after the inquest.
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