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A former service sergeant has been sentenced to half a year in prison for committing sexual assault against a 19-year-old soldier who subsequently died by suicide.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber, in his forties, restrained Royal Artillery Gunner the victim and sought to force a kiss on her in mid-2021. She was located without signs of life five months later in her quarters at Larkhill military installation.

The convicted individual, who was given his punishment at the military court in Wiltshire previously, will be sent to a public jail and registered as offender database for seven years.

The victim's mother Ms. Mcready stated: "The assault, and how the military failed to protect our child following the incident, resulted in her suicide."

Military Response

The armed forces said it did not listen to the soldier, who was a native of the Cumbrian village, when she reported the assault and has apologised for its response to her report.

Subsequent to an investigation of the tragic death, the accused confessed to the offense of sexual assault in September.

The grieving parent commented her daughter ought to have been sitting with her relatives in the courtroom this day, "to witness the person she reported held accountable for what he did."

"Instead, we appear missing her, enduring endless sorrow that no relatives should ever experience," she added.

"She followed the rules, but those responsible neglected their responsibilities. Those failures destroyed our daughter completely."

PA

Court Proceedings

The legal tribunal was advised that the incident took place during an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island, near Hampshire's Emsworth, in summer 2021.

The accused, a Sergeant Major at the time, made a sexual advance towards the servicewoman following an evening of drinking while on duty for a training exercise.

The victim stated the accused remarked he had been "anticipating an opportunity for them to be by themselves" before making physical contact, pinning her down, and trying to kiss her.

She filed a complaint against the accused subsequent to the violation, notwithstanding efforts by commanding officers to persuade her not to.

An official inquiry into her suicide found the Army's handling of the report played "more than a minimal contributing factor in her suicide."

Parent's Account

In a account shared to the court earlier, the mother, stated: "The young woman had just turned 19 and will always be a youth full of life and laughter."

"She trusted authorities to protect her and following the assault, the faith was lost. She was extremely troubled and terrified of the sergeant."

"I saw the transformation firsthand. She felt vulnerable and abandoned. That assault broke her confidence in the system that was intended to look after her."

Judge's Statement

While delivering judgment, Judge Advocate General the judge remarked: "We must evaluate whether it can be handled in another way. We do not believe it can."

"We are satisfied the severity of the crime means it can only be addressed by prison time."

He spoke to the convicted individual: "The servicewoman had the strength and intelligence to demand you halt and told you to retire for the night, but you persisted to the point she believed she could not feel secure from you even when she went back to her own accommodation."

He added: "The following day, she made the complaint to her loved ones, her friends and her commanding officers."

"Following the report, the unit decided to deal with you with light disciplinary measures."

"You underwent questioning and you accepted your actions had been inappropriate. You prepared a letter of apology."

"Your military service continued completely unaffected and you were eventually elevated to higher rank."

Additional Context

At the formal inquiry into the soldier's suicide, the coroner said military leadership pressured her to cease proceedings, and only reported it to a higher command "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the time, the sergeant was given a "minimal consequence discussion" with no further consequences.

The inquest was also told that just weeks after the assault the servicewoman had further been facing "continuous bullying" by a different service member.

A separate service member, her commanding individual, directed toward her more than 4,600 SMS communications expressing emotions for her, along with a 15-page "personal account" outlining his "imagined scenarios."

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Official Statement

The military leadership said it offered its "deepest sympathies" to Gunner Beck and her relatives.

"We remain profoundly sorry for the failings that were noted at the formal investigation in winter."

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