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Family Snapshot

A former Army sergeant major has been ordered to serve half a year in jail for attacking a young gunner who later ended her life.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber, forty-three, restrained Royal Artillery Gunner the young woman and sought to kiss her in mid-2021. She was found dead five months later in her quarters at the Wiltshire base.

The defendant, who was given his punishment at the Court Martial Centre in the Wiltshire region recently, will be transferred to a civilian prison and registered as sexual offenders list for a seven-year period.

The family matriarch Ms. Mcready commented: "What he [Webber] did, and how the Army neglected to defend our young woman subsequently, resulted in her suicide."

Military Response

The armed forces said it did not listen to the soldier, who was hailing from Oxen Park in Cumbria, when she reported the assault and has said sorry for its response to her report.

After a formal inquiry regarding Gunner Beck's death, Webber pleaded guilty to a single charge of physical violation in September.

The mother stated her young woman could have been present with her loved ones in legal proceedings this day, "to witness the individual she filed against facing consequences for the assault."

"Conversely, we are present without her, living a life sentence that no family should ever experience," she added.

"She followed the rules, but the individuals in charge neglected their responsibilities. Such negligence broke our young woman totally."

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Judicial Process

The court was advised that the assault occurred during an adventure training exercise at the exercise site, near Hampshire's Emsworth, in mid-2021.

The sergeant, a ranking soldier at the moment, initiated inappropriate contact towards the servicewoman after an alcohol consumption while on deployment for a field training.

Gunner Beck stated the accused remarked he had been "anticipating an opportunity for them to be by themselves" before grabbing her leg, holding her against her will, and attempting to force intimacy.

She made official allegations against Webber subsequent to the violation, despite attempts by superiors to discourage her.

A formal investigation into her suicide found the Army's handling of the report played "more than a minimal contributory part in her suicide."

Family Statement

In a testimony presented to the court previously, the parent, expressed: "She had just turned nineteen and will eternally stay a young person full of life and laughter."

"She trusted authorities to defend her and following the assault, the trust was lost. She was extremely troubled and scared of the accused."

"I observed the difference personally. She felt powerless and betrayed. That assault broke her faith in the structure that was meant to look after her."

Sentencing Remarks

When announcing the verdict, The judicial officer the judge remarked: "We have to consider whether it can be handled in another way. We are not convinced it can."

"We have determined the severity of the offence means it can only be resolved by incarceration."

He addressed the defendant: "The victim had the bravery and wisdom to instruct you to cease and directed you to go to bed, but you carried on to the point she felt she could not feel secure from you even if she retreated to her assigned barracks."

He continued: "The subsequent morning, she disclosed the assault to her relatives, her acquaintances and her military superiors."

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

"You were subject to inquiry and you acknowledged your behavior had been inappropriate. You wrote a letter of apology."

"Your career advanced completely unaffected and you were subsequently promoted to higher rank."

Further Details

At the formal inquiry into Gunner Beck's death, the official examiner said Capt James Hook put pressure on her to cease proceedings, and just informed it to a higher command "when the cat was already out of the bag."

At the moment, the accused was given a "light disciplinary meeting" with no additional penalties.

The inquiry was also told that only a short time after the incident the soldier had also been facing "relentless harassment" by a separate individual.

Another soldier, her superior officer, sent her numerous text messages confessing his feelings for her, in addition to a 15-page "romantic narrative" detailing his "fantasies about her."

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Official Statement

The armed forces stated it provided its "heartfelt apologies" to Gunner Beck and her relatives.

"We continue to be sincerely regretful for the shortcomings that were noted at the formal investigation in early this year."

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