Woman killed herself after boss sent her 3,500 WhatsApps and voicemails in month
A teenage female soldier is believed to have taken her own life after relentless sexual harassment by her boss.
Nineteen-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021. A service inquiry report described “an intense period of unwelcome behaviour”. “It is almost certain this was a causal factor in her death,” the report found.
The behaviour from her immediate boss, continued over a period of two months preceding her death, the report published today (Wednesday, October 4) said. “It appears that it continued to affect her and had taken a significant toll on her mental resilience and well-being,” it continued.
Gunner Beck's family said she 'would light up the room' (MEN MEDIA)Gunner Beck’s mother said her daughter, from Oxen Park in Cumbria, had been “down” after months of harassment. The Army investigation found her boss, who, like everyone in the report, is not named, wanted a relationship with her but she had a boyfriend and did not reciprocate his feelings.
In October 2021 her boss sent her more than 1,000 WhatsApp messages and voicemails. The following month this increased to more than 3,500. Jaysley was found dead in her room at Larkhill Camp following a party 10 days before Christmas Jaysley had initially regarded her boss as a friend and tried to be understanding, but in the weeks before her death she messaged him to say: “I can’t handle it any more. It’s weighing me down.”
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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.”
An Army investigation into the death has made a series of worrying claimsThe Army investigation said her line manager was responsible for allocating tasks and would ensure they were working together. She also had fears he was tracking her movements via her mobile phone. The week before her death she left a hotel where they were both staying on a work trip because of his behaviour. She called her father in distress and was collected by a friend who found her “trembling and shaking”, according to evidence given to the investigation.
Jaysley joined the Army when she was 16 and her family said she was proud to be a soldier. Her mum, Leighann McCready said: “You think the easiest solution is to block him but you can’t just block your boss. She was always down. She was fed up with his behaviour. It started ruining a job that she really enjoyed doing.”
She added: “It was very apparent how it emotionally affected her. It took its toll on Jaysley, she was a very strong character, so for Jaysley to cry, there was something really hurting her feelings.” Ms McCready described not being able to get hold of her daughter on December 15 2021, then someone answering Gunner Beck’s phone who said “I’m sorry”. Ms McCready said that is how she found out about her daughter’s death.
The report says family issues, including a bereavement, were also responsible for Gunner Beck’s death, which her family reject. The report added that Gunner Beck had no diagnosed mental health conditions and had not sought welfare support from anyone in the Army.
The inquiry into her death heard evidence from witnesses about inappropriate sexual behaviour by male soldiers towards their female colleagues at Larkhill. The report says: “It was commonplace amongst a significant minority of soldiers within Larkhill Garrison.”
The report says measures to tackle this kind of behaviour were introduced as part of a new policy for the armed forces in November 2022. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said it was “very, very upsetting, very, very sad to read about it” and his thoughts were with her family.
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."
An inquest date to officially determine how Gunner Beck died has yet to be set.
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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