Young Gunner believed to have taken own life was bombarded with thousands of WhatsApps from her superior

A teenage soldier is believed to have taken her own life after "an intense period of unwelcome behaviour" by one of her superiors, according to an Army investigation.

The service inquiry report into the death of 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck has just been published. She was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021.

The report said Gnr Beck's immediate boss sent more than 1,000 WhatsApp messages and voicemails to her in October 2021, with the number increasing to more than 3,500 the following month.

It describes it an "an intense period of unwelcome behaviour" and said it is "almost certain this was a causal factor" in the teenager's death.

The report identified two causal and three contributory factors in her death.

A causal factor was the persistent and unwelcome behaviour – the more than 4,500 WhatsApp messages and voicemails in October and November 2021 – from her immediate superior who had apparently wanted a relationship with her, but she did not reciprocate his feelings.

"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 wellbeing," the report said.

Gnr Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, told the PA news agency: "It's easy for people to say 'why don't you block him', you've got to have respect for those above you and Jaysley did have respect, it wasn't as straightforward as you can block your boss.

"She didn't particularly want to cause any upset on his side, she was the kind of person who put others before herself."

Ms McCready, of Oxen Park in Cumbria, said her daughter would ring the family saying his behaviour was becoming "increasingly worrying towards her".

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."

A highly probable causal factor, the report said, was "extensive evidence" Gnr Beck appeared to be struggling to come to terms with the death of her uncle the previous year, and family issues, some of which were connected to her uncle's death.

Gnr Beck's family rejects the report's finding that family issues, including the bereavement, were a factor in her death.

One likely contributory factor had been that Gnr Beck had been in a short-term secret relationship with a married colleague. The report says the circumstances of trying to keep it secret appear to have placed a "significant strain" on her.  

Ms McCready described not being able to get hold of her daughter on 15 December 2021, then someone answering Gnr Beck's phone who said: "I'm sorry". Ms McCready said that is how she found out about her daughter's death.

Another contributory factor was a difficult long-term relationship – 20 months with a bombardier – which had ended in November 2021. Despite being on "amicable terms" with the bombardier, others had observed Gnr Beck's self-confidence and esteem had been eroded over a prolonged period. The panel believes these difficulties would have left her with less resilience to deal with other subsequent events.

Alcohol was also deemed to be a contributory factor in the report. On the night before her death, on 14 December, the report says Gnr Beck had consumed "significant quantities" of alcohol and had been seen to vomit from the effects at least once. This, the report found, would probably have affected her decision-making ability that night.

The report added that Gunner Beck had no diagnosed mental health conditions and had not sought welfare support from anyone in the Army.

Witnesses gave evidence at the inquiry into her death about inappropriate sexual behaviour by male soldiers towards their female colleagues at Larkhill.

The report said: "It was commonplace amongst a significant minority of soldiers within Larkhill Garrison."

It said measures, as part of a new policy for the military, were introduced to tackle such behaviour, in November 2022.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said it was "very, very upsetting, very, very sad to read about it" and said his thoughts were with her family.

He told BBC Breakfast: "In all walks of life whenever abuse takes place, but particularly in the British military, and the brave men and women put themselves forward to serve the country, that kind of behaviour (sexual harassment) would have no part at all in the British military."

The family's lawyer, Emma Norton, from the Centre for Military Justice, said: "It is hugely significant that the Army has admitted that this sexual harassment was a causative factor in her death.

"If there is one silver lining in this awful situation it is the fact that the Army has accepted that at this relatively early stage. I don't think that would have happened a few years ago.

"The Army still has a systemic problem with misogyny and sexism. It's taking steps to address this but they don't go nearly far enough.

"Two recent independent reviews (Wigston and the Defence Committee Inquiry into Women in the Armed Forces) have recommended that the handling of serious sexual harassment and bullying cases must be taken away from the single services themselves and given to an independent (or semi-independent) body. And that sexual assault investigations should be handled by civilian police.

"Time after time the MOD rejects these calls. So when the MOD today tells you that it has a zero tolerance for sexual harassment or assault, it is important to bear that in mind. It seems they are only prepared to go so far."

Ms McCready added: "She was just so loving, really had a heart of gold, would do anything for anyone. She always looked out for others and put others before herself.

"She was a very witty girl, a very mature girl. She was passionate about her career and was a strong member of her family and a loving sister to Emilli who is 24."

Ms McCready said Gnr Beck was 16 when she joined the Army, she "loved her career" and was due to have a promotion.

Sarah Atherton, chair of the Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces, said:"My sympathies are with the family of Gunner Beck – her death is a tragedy. We await news of a date for the inquest into her death.

"The Defence Committee made a series of recommendations to Government in 2021 to improve its handling of unacceptable behaviour, most of which the Ministry of Defence (MOD) officially accepted.

"We now want to understand whether there has been enough change in practice over the last two years. We will hold a public evidence session with the MOD in November.

"To inform our session, we are seeking evidence from servicewomen (with approval from the MOD) and recent female veterans, in relation to their experiences since our Women in the Armed Forces Report was published in 2021.

"I would encourage all those wishing to share their experiences of Armed Forces culture over the last two years to come forward and share their evidence with the committee."

An Army spokesperson said: "Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Gunner Jaysley-Louise Beck's family and friends at this difficult time.

"The Army has endorsed all 18 recommendations in the Service Inquiry report, 15 of which have already been actioned.

"The remainder will be actioned by the end of December 2023 as part of our absolute commitment to improving and maintaining the safety of our people.

"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."