A court-martial has cleared two Army officers of failing to properly deal with allegations made by a teenage soldier who took her own life five months later.
Colonel Samantha Shepherd and Major James Hook were accused of "conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline" in connection with the death of 19-year-old Gunner Jaysley Beck.
Both of them denied the charges.
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Following the second day of the trial, Col Shepard and Maj Hook left court after the judge advocate directed the board to return not guilty verdicts.
In Col Shepherd's case, the prosecution conceded it did not have sufficient evidence to convict, and she walked free on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, following a submission from Maj Hook's defence, he also had no case to answer, and the judge advocate again directed the board to return a not guilty verdict.
In relation to Maj Hook, Assistant Judge Advocate General Edward Legard said: "The evidence is of an inconsistent, vague and tenuous nature.
"Both the legal and evidential basis on which the Crown alleges prejudice is flawed and uncertain."
Jaysley Beck's mother, Leighan McCready, left the court before this last verdict was read out, but the Judge Advocate requested his closing remarks be passed on to her.
He acknowledged the outcome is "likely to cause some upset" and offered his "profound sympathy" to the family and friends of Gnr Beck.
You can find out how the first day of the trial unfolded here.
'End of a long and very sad journey'
After the acquittal, Ms McCready said the family respected the court-martial verdict and recognised that the two defendants had been acquitted.
Nevertheless, she added: "Nothing was ever going to bring Jaysley back. But today marks the end of a long and very sad journey for Jaysley and for our family.
"We know, because the coroner found after a 10-day inquest, that the Army failed to take appropriate disciplinary action against a warrant officer who had sexually assaulted her; and it failed to take action in relation to the harassment she suffered at the hands of another male, her line manager – harassment that continued for months.
"Those failings contributed to her death. Those findings still stand. Despite the outcome of these court-martial proceedings, it remains true to say that the Army let our daughter down very badly.
"Even during this trial, the court heard evidence that senior soldiers making passes at junior colleagues was not at all unusual – what does that tell you about the culture? And it continues to cause us enormous pain to know that one of the first people who Jaysley spoke to just thought she was making up a serious allegation to get out of exercise.
"We can never forgive that.
"The experiences of our daughter in the British Army – and the outcome today – do not fill us with optimism that young women being preyed upon by their seniors will feel confident coming forward. We will continue to spend our time and our energies working to improve the Armed Forces for our service people and in our daughter's name."
Still more to do, says Defence Secretary
In a statement posted on X, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting commended the bravery and determination of Jaysley Beck's family in "pursuing the change needed in our Armed Forces".
"The Army has accepted all of the findings identified by the Service Inquiry and responded to the recommendations to improve service life across its culture, policies, and practices," he said.
Mr Streeting added that while significant reforms have been introduced since Gnr Beck's death, including commissioning the first-ever Armed Forces sexualised behaviour and sexual harassment survey, appointing the first Armed Forces Commissioner, and strengthening the Victim Witness Care Unit and Defence Serious Crime Command, there is still more to do.
"I am deeply committed to improving how complaints and crimes are reported and investigated. Service personnel must have confidence that unacceptable and criminal behaviour will be tackled, that concerns will be acted upon, and that they will be supported when they come forward," he continued.
"Jaysley-Louise's family have my commitment that I will continue to drive the changes needed to ensure every voice is heard."
Army to drive improvements to culture
Speaking on behalf of the Army, Brigadier Melissa Emmett, Head of Army Personnel Services Group, said: "We remain deeply sorry for the circumstances surrounding her death and reiterate my and the Army's deepest condolences to you, her family, and to her friends.
She added that in the years following Gnr Beck's death, the Army has acted on the findings of the service inquiry, the inquest, and subsequent investigations as it seeks to "drive improvements to our culture".
"We are raising expectations of behaviour, strengthening leadership at every level, and improving the way concerns are reported and addressed," said Brig Emmett.
"Our focus is on creating an environment where people feel confident and safe to speak up, where reports of unacceptable or criminal behaviour are taken seriously, and where prompt and appropriate action follows.
"Those personnel who have been subject to these proceedings will continue to receive all appropriate support and must be enabled to return to duties as serving members of the Army.
"We are determined to build a culture founded on respect, trust and accountability, and to continue our work to stamp out abuse and unacceptable behaviour affecting our people. We encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of a crime to report it to the police."
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