Ex- Sergeant Sentenced for Sexual Assault on Young Servicewoman

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A former Army sergeant major has been given 180 days in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage servicewoman who afterwards died by suicide.

Sergeant Major the former sergeant, 43, held down service member the young woman and attempted to kiss her in July 2021. She was located without signs of life several months after in her quarters at the Wiltshire base.

Webber, who was judged at the legal proceedings in the Wiltshire region recently, will be transferred to a public jail and on the sexual offenders list for seven years.

The family matriarch Leighann Mcready commented: "His actions, and how the military failed to protect our child subsequently, led to her death."

Military Response

The Army said it did not listen to the servicewoman, who was a native of Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she reported the assault and has expressed regret for its management of her report.

After a formal inquiry regarding Gunner Beck's death, the defendant admitted to the offense of unwanted sexual advance in September.

The grieving parent said her daughter should have been alongside her loved ones in court today, "to witness the person she accused facing consequences for the assault."

"Conversely, we are present missing her, facing perpetual grief that no relatives should ever have to face," she stated further.

"She complied with procedures, but those responsible didn't follow theirs. Those failures destroyed our daughter totally."

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Judicial Process

The court was advised that the violation occurred during an military training at Thorney Island, near the Hampshire area, in summer 2021.

Webber, a ranking soldier at the period, initiated inappropriate contact towards the soldier following an alcohol consumption while on duty for a training exercise.

Gunner Beck claimed Webber said he had been "seeking a chance for them to be in private" before grabbing her leg, restraining her, and attempting to force intimacy.

She reported the incident against the sergeant subsequent to the incident, despite attempts by commanding officers to persuade her not to.

A formal investigation into her death found the armed forces' response of the allegations played "an important contributory part in her demise."

Mother's Testimony

In a statement presented to the judicial body previously, the parent, expressed: "Our daughter had just turned 19 and will forever remain a young person full of energy and happiness."

"She had faith individuals to protect her and post-incident, the faith was lost. She was extremely troubled and terrified of the sergeant."

"I saw the transformation personally. She felt vulnerable and abandoned. That assault broke her trust in the set-up that was supposed to protect her."

Sentencing Remarks

During sentencing, The presiding judge Alan Large stated: "We must evaluate whether it can be addressed in another way. We do not consider it can."

"We conclude the gravity of the offence means it can only be addressed by incarceration."

He spoke to Webber: "The servicewoman had the bravery and wisdom to demand you halt and instructed you to retire for the night, but you carried on to the point she considered she wouldn't be safe from you even if she returned to her own accommodation."

He continued: "The subsequent morning, she made the complaint to her loved ones, her acquaintances and her chain of command."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the command chose to address your behavior with minimal consequences."

"You underwent questioning and you admitted your behavior had been improper. You wrote a letter of apology."

"Your military service advanced unimpeded and you were subsequently advanced to Warrant Officer 1."

Background Information

At the inquest into Gunner Beck's death, the official examiner said a commanding officer influenced her to drop the allegations, and only reported it to a higher command "after information had leaked."

At the period, the accused was given a "minimal consequence discussion" with no additional penalties.

The investigation was further advised that only a short time after the incident Gunner Beck had also been subjected to "relentless harassment" by a different service member.

Bombardier Ryan Mason, her commanding individual, directed toward her over four thousand six hundred digital communications declaring attachments for her, accompanied by a fifteen-page "personal account" describing his "personal thoughts."

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Official Statement

The Army said it offered its "sincerest condolences" to the soldier and her family.

"We continue to be profoundly sorry for the failings that were identified at the official inquiry in February."

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