Two officers to face court martial over handling of Jaysley Beck sexual assault case

Two serving British Army officers are to face a court martial over the handling of a case of sexual assault of the teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later took her own life.

Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at her barracks at Larkhill camp in Wiltshire in 2021. She had complained she had been sexually assaulted.

Last October, former Battery Sergeant Michael Webber was jailed for six months for sexual assault.

An earlier inquest into her death heard the Army's handling of her complaint had played "more than a minimal contributory part into her death".

The Army has already issued an apology, saying it was "profoundly sorry" for the failings identified at the inquest.

The Service Prosecution Authority has now charged two officers in Beck's chain of command.

The BBC has been told they are Major James Hook and Colonel Sarah Shepherd, who were both made aware of her complaint before she took her life.

After the inquest, Beck's family had written to the head of the Army, General Sir Roly Walker, requesting that further action be taken against both officers.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: "Following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we can confirm two individuals have been charged with offences under Section 19 of the Armed Forces Act (conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline).

"It would be inappropriate to comment further as legal proceedings are ongoing."

Beck's mother, Leighann McCready, said that "more than 4 years on from the loss of our daughter we are very relieved to have finally got to this point."

The MoD has set up a serious crime command and launched a violence against women and girls taskforce, and more recently has agreed in principle to remove the handling of serious complaints from the individual services.