Disgusting comments made by fellow soldiers about Jaysley, friend tells inquest
A former solider has told an inquest into her friend's death how women in the Army were subjected to a series of inappropriate comments from male colleagues.
Tamzin Hort, who is now 23, was speaking at the hearing into Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, who was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021.
Salisbury Coroner's Court heard how Gnr Beck had previously been sent thousands of messages from her supervisor and was allegedly pinned down by a senior soldier who tried to kiss her.
Ms Hort, who has now left the Armed Forces, was asked about her experience of being female in the Army.
She said: "I was with my partner for three years, but as the only girl in my battery I got a lot of unwanted attention from a lot of the lads, especially if they had had a drink.
"I couldn't walk out of my block without getting nasty comments. That goes for the majority of females, not just in Larkhill."
Ms Hort told the inquest how people would knock on her door and she first left it unlocked but then began locking it due to concerns people would walk in when she was sleeping.
Assistant coroner Nicholas Rheinberg asked her whether Gnr Beck ever talked to her about these problems.
Ms Hort replied: "No. I know she would get a lot of comments. She was stunning. They would all make disgusting comments like 'I would do this to her'.
"She was beautiful, she was going to get comments, but she shouldn't have had to. You can't react to it because it makes it worse and they would do it even more."
The former soldier described one incident in which she returned home from the pub and locked her room, later finding a sergeant outside with a condom.
"I was 17," she said. "You can imagine how scared I was. It happens to every female. It is not just in 47 Regiment [47th Regiment Royal Artillery, based at Larkhill]."
Ms Hort said she did not complain about the incident, adding that on an occasion when she received therapy through the Army welfare services "somehow everyone knew about it".
The hearing continues.
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