A court martial has heard that Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was let down by two senior Army officers after she reported being sexually assaulted at a training exercise, five months before she took her own life. Colonel Samantha Shepherd and Major James Hook are accused of failing to treat her allegation seriously, with Shepherd allegedly trying to suppress details to keep service police out of the matter, while Hook is said to have discouraged her from making an official complaint. The case, being heard at Catterick Garrison, raises serious questions about how the Army handles reports of sexual misconduct within its ranks and whether institutional failures contributed to the young soldier's death.

Prosecutors told the court martial that Beck reported Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, for trying to kiss her and touching her leg during a social event at an adventure training exercise in Hampshire in July 2021. Major Hook, then a captain, allegedly gave her only until noon to decide whether to complain and warned her that Webber would "almost certainly" get into trouble, which the prosecution described as "leaning on her" rather than empowering her. Colonel Shepherd is accused of deliberately failing to pass on key details of the alleged touching to the regiment's discipline officer, with the prosecutor stating it was "not credible" that she simply forgot. Both officers face charges of conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline; Beck was found dead at her Wiltshire barracks in December 2021.