Sergeant who ‘pinned down’ teen soldier refuses to answer questions at inquest

The boss of a teenage soldier who is believed to have taken her own life after ‘possessive’ and ‘creepy’ behaviour from higher-ups declined to answer questions during an inquest today.

Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber declined to answer questions in the inquest today at Salisbury Coroner’s Court into the death of Jaysley Beck, 19, a Royal Artillery Gunner.

Ms Beck made a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, now of Warrant Officer Class 1 rank, during a stay at Thorney Island, near Emsworth in Hampshire, in July 2021.

Ms Beck claimed Webber told her he had been ‘waiting for a moment for them to be alone’, and had engaged her in a drinking game called Last Man Standing before grabbing her leg and trying to kiss her.

Salisbury Coroner’s Court heard Ms Beck pushed the senior officer away and left the room before phoning a friend. The inquest was told Ms Beck was ‘crying’ and locked herself in her car that night before making a complaint to her superiors in the morning.

Today, Webber was sworn in to give evidence to the inquest – and spoke to confirm he had encountered Gunner Beck professionally before she went on the five-day adventure training package on Thorney Island.

The coroner asked: ‘Over your time at Thorney Island, did you encounter Gunner Beck – giving the same warning?’

Webber declined to answer but did confirm he had written a letter of apology to Ms Beck and that the letter’s content was true.

The coroner asked: ‘You will see in the letter you describe your behaviour as ‘absolutely unacceptable’ – same warning – what was your behaviour?’

Webber replied: ‘Decline to answer.’

He also declined to answer questions about putting his hand ‘uninvited’ on Ms Beck’s leg, and ‘pinning her down while attempting to kiss her’.

He declined to answer if he was drunk and to say whether he had been ordered to leave the island by Colonel Samantha Shepherd, who was the regimental colonel for the Royal Artillery in 2021.

After his evidence, Webber shared that he intends to leave the Army later this year.

Major Lupton told the inquest that Ms Beck was ‘the epitome of who you would want in the Army’ and described how he had been informed of the incident on Thorney Island.

Major Lupton said: ‘She was calm. She read the letter. I asked if she was happy if she was OK about it. She said yes. I would have said some words of encouragement.’

Another witness, Major Robert Ronz, told the inquest that a formal record stated Webber had committed ‘inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a Warrant Officer’ but contained no details of the incident.

Gunner Beck was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021.

Previously, the inquest heard Gunner Beck received thousands of messages from another senior colleague, Bombardier Ryan Mason, whom she described as being ‘psychotic and possessive’.

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