Jaysley Beck had 'unwelcome behaviour' from army boss

Jaysley Beck, 19, who is originally from Bradford, was found dead at Larkhill Camp, in Wiltshire in December 2021.

An Army investigation found Ms Beck - who was a Royal Artillery Gunner having joined the forces when she was 16 - was subjected to relentless sexual harassment by her immediate boss in the two months prior to her death.

It is described in the report as "an intense period of unwelcome behaviour", which also states "it is almost certain this was a causal factor in her death".

But the investigation also found the death of Ms Beck's uncle in 2020 and other family issues were "highly probable" to be a second causal factor.

Jaysley Beck (Image: Family handout)

There were also three potential contributory factors highlighted by the report, which included Ms Beck's sexual relationship with a married SNCO (Senior Non-Commissioned Officer) in the final weeks before her death.

This came after her long-term relationship, of roughly 20 months, ended in November 2021, and was deemed to be a possible influence, while the report noted Ms Beck's "unhealthy approach to alcohol" was "highly likely" to have been a third contributory factor in her death.

The boss's sexual harassment ended the week before Ms Beck's death but the unwanted attention appeared to still be impacting her mental wellbeing and Ms Beck's mum, Leighann McCready, told the BBC in an interview that her daughter had been "down" in the aftermath.

The report, which was published at 12pm today, found Ms Beck's boss - a bombardier who is not named in the document - sent her more than 1,000 WhatsApp messages and voicemails in October 2021.

This increased vastly in volume to more than 3,500 in November, 2021 and the report found Ms Beck's boss wanted a relationship with her and would exert controlling behaviour in the communications.

The report found Ms Beck did not reciprocate her boss's feelings and had a boyfriend but once this relationship ended there appears to have been "an increased intensity" in which the bombardier contacted her.

Ms Beck feared her line manager was tracking her phone and the report gives details how this person was responsible for allocating tasks and made sure they were working together.

Just a week before Ms Beck's death, she was staying at a hotel on a work trip and her boss was also there, in a room next to her.

Ms Beck told friends she "feared the allocation of rooms had been deliberately manipulated", according to the report.

The gunner left due to his behaviour and was picked up by a friend who found her in a traumatised state, after she had rung her father in distress.

The report said Ms Beck was discovered hiding by the side of the hotel and was "trembling and shaking".

Ms Beck's family told the BBC their daughter had not wanted to hurt her boss's feelings.

She regarded him as a friend at first but sent a message to him saying the unwanted situation was "weighing me down" in the weeks before her death.

Part of Larkhill Army Camp/Garrison in Wiltshire (Image: Google Street View)

Another message to her boss while at the hotel talked of being trapped by his actions, that her family was worried, she had been reduced to tears and was struggling to deal with it all.

Ms Beck's family are close-knit and are originally from Bradford, but now run Manor House Oxen Park, in Cumbria - a gastropub.

Ms Beck's mum, her dad, Anthony, and older sister Emilli, contacted their loved one regularly and experienced first-hand the effect the sexual harassment was having.

Ms McCready told the BBC that it began to ruin a job her daughter had "really enjoyed doing".

Her mother also spoke of Ms Beck's potential reluctance at wanting to report her boss, after the way a sexual assault complaint about one of her other seniors was dealt with a few months before.

Ms McCready told the BBC that her daughter rang her the morning after the incident and she said the senior "put his hands between her legs and tried to grab her from around the neck" late at night in a bar at the Army training centre.

Army personnel were permitted to bring their own drinks and continued into the early hours of the morning until it was just Ms Beck and the senior colleague left.

It was at this point it appears the senior made an "unwarranted and unwelcome sexual advance" and Ms Beck "rapidly left the scene and hid in the toilets".

Ms Beck did not report what happened but someone else did.

The Army investigation report said the man involved was given a minor sanction and told to write a letter of apology, which said "if ever there is anything I can do for you, my door will always be open", according to Ms McCready.

She told the BBC the offer was "absolutely disgusting" in relation to a traumatic life-changing experience for her daughter.

The report acknowledged the response to the complaint "may have influenced her failure to report other events that happened subsequently".

Ms McCready also rejects that family issues, including Ms Beck's uncle's death, were partly responsible for her daughter's death.

The report said Ms Beck had told friends she felt "guilt" over his death and was experiencing "intrusive dreams" about the situation.

Ms Beck had no diagnosed mental-health conditions and had not sought welfare support from anyone in the Army, according to the report.

Witnesses involved in the investigation said that inappropriate sexual behaviour was "commonplace" at Larkhill Garrison from a "significant minority of soldiers".

One said she regularly received comments from male colleagues that were "vile" and "degrading".

In her interview with the BBC, Ms McCready has accused military personnel of lacking compassion when the family gathered Ms Beck's belongings and said they also unsuccessfully tried to dictate her daughter's funeral arrangements.

Measures to tackle behaviours described by some of the witnesses were introduced as part of a new policy for the armed forces in November 2022, according to the report.

An Army spokesperson said: "Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Gunner Jaysley-Louise Beck's family and friends at this difficult time".

It adds that it would be inappropriate to comment further until after the inquest.

An inquest date to officially determine how Ms Beck died has yet to be set.