An inquiry has revealed that a teenage soldier was found dead at her base after receiving numerous “unwelcome” texts from her superior.
Jaysley Beck, a 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner, was discovered at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire, UK, on December 15, 2021.
She had confided in the inquiry that she felt “scared” by her boss’s “psychotic and possessive” behavior, fearing that he had hacked her phone.
A service inquiry report released in October 2023 found that Bombardier Ryan Mason’s “intense period” of messaging was a “causal factor” in Jaysley Beck’s death, according to Sky News.
Beck, a 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner, received 3,600 messages from Mason in November alone ,part of a series of thousands sent between October and December 2021.
During the inquest at Salisbury, Beck’s mother, Leighann McCready, testified that her daughter “did not feel safe” as time went on.
Mason, whom Beck had supported due to his mental health struggles, repeatedly sent her unwanted messages via WhatsApp.
Some of his texts included:
“Love you Jayse. As a friend.”
“I will always be there along for the ride with you. I have said it before, but you’re stuck with me forever now. I love you x As a friend, I love you.”
Beck eventually confronted Mason about his behavior on November 25, replying:
“This whole falling in love with me, it’s becoming a bit too much. I have just come out of a relationship, and I’m just not wanting to be involved in anything like this.”
“It’s weighing me down a little bit, I’ll be totally honest with you.”
“Totally honest here, I just don’t want to hear how you feel about me.”
McCready said her daughter believed Mason was “overstepping” and had told her family he was “becoming a creep.”
Beck grew increasingly paranoid, fearing that Mason was monitoring her. On December 4, she messaged him:
“It’s snapping me. I have replied to you, and in the space of a couple of minutes, you sent three texts and tried to phone me. Can you understand why I think it’s a bit too much?”
By December 7, Beck called her mother “upset and crying,” convinced her phone was being tracked.
A draft message she planned to send Mason revealed the extent of her distress:
“I honestly feel trapped in this whole situation. I have tried to act as normal as possible because we are working together, but there is nothing normal about this situation.”
“It’s possessive and psychotic; you have to understand it’s not normal behavior.”
“I am struggling to deal with all of this; it’s taking a huge toll on my own mental health for many personal reasons. I need time out.”
Despite her fears, Beck chose not to file a formal complaint, worried about the impact on her military career.
The inquest also heard that in July 2021, while on a team-building trip near Emsworth, Beck was sexually assaulted by a sergeant who put his hand “between her legs.”
The sergeant received only a small fine, and his apology letter where he stated his “door remained open” to her ,left Beck feeling dissatisfied. The Army’s service inquiry report suggested this incident may have discouraged her from reporting “additional occurrences that happened thereafter.”
While the report cited family bereavement as a factor in her death, her family denies this.
Additional stressors mentioned in the report included:
A “significant strain” from a sexual relationship with a married coworker that ended in November 2021.
“Repeated allegations of unfaithfulness” from the boyfriend.
Periods of “binge drinking.”
Despite these findings, the report stated that Beck had no recorded mental health issues and did not seek welfare assistance.
The inquest remains ongoing.
