Senior Army NCO declines to answer questions over attempted kiss at teen soldier inquest

A senior NCO accused of pinning down and attempting to kiss a teenage soldier has declined to answer questions about the incident at the inquest into her death.

Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, who served in the Royal Artillery, made a complaint against then-Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, who is now a Warrant Officer Class 1, during a stay at Thorney Island in Hampshire in July 2021.

Gnr Beck claimed WO1 Webber told her he had been "waiting for a moment for them to be alone", 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 Gnr Beck pushed the senior NCO away and left the room before phoning a friend, having been frightened that W01 Webber, then aged 39, would come "looking for her".

The inquest was told Gnr Beck was crying and locked herself in her car that night before making a complaint to her superiors in the morning.

During the hearing, it emerged that Gnr Beck was found hanged in her room at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire at about 16:00 on 15 December 2021.

WO1 Webber was given a warning by Assistant Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg before beginning his evidence, with the senior NCO told he did not have to answer questions that could incriminate himself.

Declined to answer

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

WO1 Webber replied: "Decline to answer."

The witness confirmed he had written a letter of apology to Gnr 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?"

WO1 Webber replied: "Decline to answer."

He answered "decline to answer" to questions about whether he had placed his hand on Gnr Beck's leg, or whether he had pinned her down while trying to kiss her.

The senior NCO also refused to answer whether he had been drunk, or that he had been ordered to leave the island by Colonel Samantha Shepherd, who was the regimental colonel for the Royal Artillery in 2021.

During questioning by Alison Gerry, representing Gnr Beck's family, WO1 Webber also refused to say whether he had told his wife that he put his hand on Gnr Beck's leg.

Gnr Beck, epitome of who you'd want in the Army

Following the incident, WO1 Webber received a minor administrative action and wrote a letter of apology to Gnr Beck, which was hand-delivered to her by her senior line manager, Major Richard Lupton.

At the conclusion of his evidence, WO1 Webber – who was promoted in May 2022 – confirmed he intends to leave the Army next year.

Gnr Beck's superior officer, Major Richard Lupton, described her as "the epitome of who you would want in the Army", and confirmed he handed her the letter written by WO1 Webber.

He told the inquest: "She was calm. She read the letter. I asked if she was happy, if she was okay about it. She said 'yes'. I would have said some words of encouragement."

Another witness, Major Robert Ronz, investigated the incident, but said he had not been aware that Gnr Beck alleged WO1 Webber had touched her leg.

Ms Gerry told him: "The evidence we have heard in relation to what happened is that Webber had told Jaysley he had been waiting for a moment for them to be alone.

"That he had engaged in a drinking game with her called Last Man Standing. He grabbed her leg and tried to kiss her. He did this three to four times.

"She pushed him away. She phoned a friend. She was frightened that Webber would come looking for her. She collected her things and was crying and went and locked herself in her car."

Inappropriate behaviour

Maj Ronz said if he had been aware of that allegation, he would have "interrogated" the advice he had been given by commanding officers and the legal advice they had sought.

He confirmed that the formal record stated WO1 Webber had committed "inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a warrant officer" and contained no details of the incident.

Maj Ronz said that at the beginning of his investigation, he had been informed WO1 Webber had admitted attempting to kiss Gnr Beck and "showed remorse and shame over the incident".

Previously, the inquest heard how Gnr Beck had received thousands of messages from another colleague, Bombardier Ryan Mason, whose behaviour was described as being "psychotic and possessive".

Another soldier, Staff Sergeant Cory Budd, said he had been in an intimate relationship with Gnr Beck at the time of her death, when he was married.

SSgt Budd confirmed that Gnr Beck was worried and "scared" about Bdr Mason's behaviour, which included him being "possessive" and "jealous”.

The coroner asked: "Had you ever had any sense that Jaysley might harm herself in any way?"

SSgt Budd replied: "No."

A statement from SSgt Budd described how he became concerned when he did not hear from Gnr Beck and attended her room with colleagues and a master key.

"This is where I found the body of Gnr Beck," his statement said.

"I instantly dialled 999."

The inquest continues.

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