A teenage soldier took her own life after being subjected to relentless sexual harassment by her boss, a British Army investigation has revealed.
Nineteen-year-old Jaysley Beck, a Royal Artillery Gunner, was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021, after she was so scared she slept in her car.
A report following the investigation said the tragedy followed “an intense period of unwelcome behaviour” which was almost certainly “a causal factor”.
The document, seen by the BBC, concluded that the behaviour of her boss over a two-month period prior to her death was a factor.
A redacted version of the report was published today at noon.
It concludes: “Whilst this behaviour ended the week before her death, it appears that it continued to affect her and had taken a significant toll on her mental resilience and well-being.”
The man in question, who has not been named, sought a relationship with Ms Beck, from Oxen Park in Cumbria, despite her not rejecting his advances.
In October 2021 she was bombarded with more than 1,000 WhatsApp messages and voicemails, with 3,500 sent the following month.
She had initially regarded him as a friend, but eventually messaged him to say: “I can’t handle it any more. It’s weighing me down.”
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.”
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Beck’s mother Leighann McCready painted a harrowing picture of the treatment her daughter received.
Ms McCready explained: “She said he put his hands between her legs and tried to grab her from around the neck. She shouted: ‘Get off me, Sir’.
“That night she slept in her car. She was afraid that if she had gone to bed he would have come into her room.
“You think the easiest solution is to block him but you can’t just block your boss.”
Ms McCready added: “She was always down. She was fed up with his behaviour.
“It started ruining a job that she really enjoyed doing.”
The matter is still being investigated by both civilian and service police.
An army spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Gunner Jaysley-Louise Beck’s family and friends at this difficult time.
“The circumstances surrounding Gunner Beck’s death, including the cause, are still to be determined by the Coroner.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further until the Coroner’s inquest has been completed.”
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