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The family of a teenage soldier who killed herself after she was sexually assaulted fear the collapse of the trial of two officers accused of failing to investigate her case properly could discourage other young members of the armed forces from reporting attacks.
Relatives of Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, said it felt like the end of a “long and sad” journey and expressed concern that during the trial a military witness described the assault as not being out of the ordinary.
Col Samantha Shepherd and Maj James Hook had faced a court martial for how they responded to the assault carried out on Beck by a superior while on a training exercise.
The prosecution had alleged Shepherd had lied when she reported Beck’s allegations, deliberately playing them down so they would not be investigated by military police. Prosecutors also said Hook had not taken the teenager’s complaints seriously and had thought she might be making the allegations up so she could leave the exercise.
However, on day three of the trial, the military board hearing the case was ordered to return not guilty pleas against Shepherd and Hook, both of whom had denied “conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline”.
In a statement, Beck’s family said it respected the decision and recognised that the two defendants had been acquitted.
They went on: “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.”
The family pointed out that a coroner had flagged what he saw as a string of serious failings in how Beck’s case was handled.
They said: “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?
“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.”
Beck’s family drew particular attention to Hook’s reaction. They said: “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 prosecution had claimed in its opening on Tuesday that the two officers had “let down” Beck, who was found dead at barracks in Wiltshire in December 2021, five months after the attack on her.
However, on Wednesday the prosecution asked the court martial in Catterick, North Yorkshire, to halt the case against Shepherd after the evidence of a key witness, another officer the colonel had reported the Beck case to, did not support the allegation she lied.
The assistant judge advocate general Edward Legard subsequently ruled there was no case to answer as far as Hook was concerned. He said: “The evidence in this case is inconsistent, vague and tenuous.”
Derek Johashen, for Shepherd, said: “Col Shepherd remains absolutely devastated about Gunner Beck’s passing. She believed Gunner Beck, took her complaint seriously, listened to her and cared.”
The defence secretary, Wes Streeting, said significant changes had been introduced since Beck’s death but there was more to do. “I will continue to drive the changes needed to ensure every voice is heard,” he added.
Brig Melissa Emmett, the head of the army personnel services group, said: “We are determined to build a culture founded on respect, trust and accountability.”
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
