The mother of a British Army soldier who took her own life says the armed forces remain unsafe for young women despite the conviction of an officer for assault.
Leighann McCready has criticised service welfare systems and called for complaints raised within the military to be handled by independent investigators after her daughter, 19-year-old Gunner Jaysley Beck, was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021. A coroner ruled that relentless harassment by her line manager, Warrant Officer Michael Webber, contributed to her death. Webber has since pleaded guilty to assaulting Gunner Beck.
McCready told BBC Breakfast she and her family had waited years for "some form of justice" and that the outcome would never bring their daughter back. "We shouldn't have had to go through this," she said, and added she did not believe the Army had yet changed its culture.
The inquest heard that Gunner Beck, who joined the Army at 16, made a formal complaint after an adventure training exercise in July 2021. She alleged Webber had "made a pass" at her, put his hand between her legs, pinned her down and attempted to kiss her. Following the incident, the inquest was told, Beck said she felt scared and slept in her car for safety. She raised complaints twice before her death.
McCready said she met with senior figures in the days after her daughter's death and reiterated the allegations. She described feeling as if she had to assemble a criminal case herself instead of being able to grieve. "I should have been grieving for my daughter and not fighting for justice," she said. She said she intended to continue campaigning so other families would not face a similar experience.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard said officials needed to "do more to change the culture of our armed forces, so that everyone is valued, that we root out the abuse that we've seen in the past." He added that high standards applied to all personnel, at any rank, in all situations.
McCready said she remained unconvinced that reporting procedures were adequate or that cultural change had taken place. She questioned whether the Army was confident in the way complaints were handled and reiterated her family's call for complaints to be investigated independently of the chain of command.
Gunner Beck was found dead in her accommodation 10 days before Christmas 2021. The family has campaigned since her death for reforms to how the armed forces investigate and manage allegations of harassment and assault.
The case has renewed attention on welfare and safeguarding within the military and on the mechanisms for reporting and investigating allegations. McCready said the family would not stop pushing for change in memory of their daughter and urged other victims to come forward.
The Ministry of Defence has previously said it takes allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment very seriously and that it had acted on the outcome of relevant inquiries, while acknowledging the need for continued reform of support and reporting systems. The family’s calls for independent investigators reflect broader demands for reforms in the handling of abuse complaints across the armed forces.