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A former Army sergeant major has been ordered to serve 180 days in jail for committing sexual assault against a young gunner who afterwards ended her life.

Warrant Officer the former sergeant, forty-three, held down soldier the young woman and attempted to force a kiss on her in July 2021. She was discovered deceased several months after in her quarters at the Wiltshire base.

The convicted individual, who was given his punishment at the legal proceedings in Wiltshire recently, will be sent to a public jail and listed on sexual offenders list for multiple years.

Gunner Beck's mother the mother stated: "What he [Webber] did, and how the armed forces did not safeguard our young woman subsequently, resulted in her suicide."

Army Statement

The armed forces acknowledged it did not listen to the servicewoman, who was a native of Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she filed the complaint and has expressed regret for its response to her complaint.

After an investigation of the tragic death, the accused admitted to one count of physical violation in September.

The grieving parent commented her daughter could have been sitting with her family in the courtroom this day, "to witness the individual she accused brought to justice for his actions."

"Rather, we stand here in her absence, living a life sentence that no loved ones should be forced to endure," she added.

"She complied with procedures, but the accountable parties didn't follow theirs. Those failures broke our young woman totally."

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Judicial Process

The court was advised that the incident took place during an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island, near the Hampshire area, in mid-2021.

The accused, a ranking soldier at the time, attempted physical intimacy towards Gunner Beck after an alcohol consumption while on assignment for a training exercise.

The servicewoman claimed Webber said he had been "anticipating an opportunity for them to be alone" before grabbing her leg, holding her against her will, and attempting to force intimacy.

She filed a complaint against the accused after the assault, regardless of pressure by commanding officers to persuade her not to.

An official inquiry into her death found the armed forces' response of the complaint played "a significant contributing factor in her demise."

Mother's Testimony

In a testimony presented to the judicial body previously, the parent, stated: "The young woman had recently celebrated nineteen and will forever remain a teenager full of vitality and joy."

"She had faith individuals to defend her and following the assault, the faith was shattered. She was very upset and terrified of Michael Webber."

"I saw the change before my own eyes. She felt helpless and deceived. That violation broke her faith in the set-up that was intended to protect her."

Sentencing Remarks

While delivering judgment, The judicial officer the judge said: "We have to consider whether it can be addressed in an alternative approach. We do not consider it can."

"We are satisfied the seriousness of the crime means it can only be addressed by incarceration."

He addressed Webber: "The victim had the bravery and wisdom to demand you halt and told you to go to bed, but you carried on to the extent she considered she wouldn't be safe from you even if she retreated to her personal quarters."

He continued: "The subsequent morning, she reported the incident to her relatives, her acquaintances and her chain of command."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the military unit decided to deal with you with minor administrative action."

"You were interviewed and you acknowledged your behavior had been unacceptable. You composed a written apology."

"Your military service proceeded unimpeded and you were eventually promoted to Warrant Officer 1."

Background Information

At the formal inquiry into the soldier's suicide, the official examiner said Capt James Hook put pressure on her to cease proceedings, and just informed it to a superior officers "after information had leaked."

At the period, Webber was given a "minor administrative action interview" with no further consequences.

The investigation was further advised that mere weeks after the assault the soldier had also been exposed to "relentless harassment" by another soldier.

A separate service member, her commanding individual, sent her over four thousand six hundred digital communications confessing his feelings for her, accompanied by a multi-page "personal account" detailing his "personal thoughts."

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Organizational Reaction

The armed forces stated it extended its "sincerest condolences" to the servicewoman and her relatives.

"We continue to be sincerely regretful for the deficiencies that were noted at the formal investigation in February."

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