Senior Army officer cleared of covering up sexual assault on Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19,

A high-ranking Army officer has been cleared of attempting to cover up a sexual assault on a teenage soldier who later took her own life.

Samantha Shepherd, regimental colonel of the Royal Artillery, was acquitted today in the second day of her court martial trial when the prosecution formally withdrew the case against her.

Colonel Shepherd had been accused of intentionally covering up a sexual assault allegation made by Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, following a social event at a training exercise in July 2021.

Gunner Beck was found dead at her barracks in Wiltshire five months later.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, was jailed for six months last year after being found guilty of pinning Gunner Beck down and trying to kiss her four years earlier.

Colonel Shepherd was accused of hiding details of the assault from the regimental adjutant – the commanding officer’s administrative assistant – to protect her regiment from an investigation. 

However after prosecution witnesses gave their evidence on Tuesday at the Military Court Centre at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, Commander Paul Patterson, prosecuting, said they were withdrawing the charge against Colonel Shepherd.

Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at her barracks in Wiltshire in December 2021

Colonel Samantha Shepherd was accused of ‘conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline’. She was cleared on Wednesday

Judge Advocate Edward Legard addressed the court martial board, which consists of an Air Commodore, a Royal Navy captain and an Army colonel.

He said: ‘The Crown has concluded that there is insufficient evidence upon which you could safely and properly convict Colonel Shepherd of the charge that she faces.

‘At my direction I am going to invite you to formally return a verdict of not guilty against Colonel Shepherd.’

Her barrister Derek Johashen told the judge: ‘Colonel Shepherd remains devastated by Gunner Beck’s passing. Colonel Shepherd is relieved by the decision, but it’s not about her.’

Mr Johashen said his client fully understood the impact on Gunner Beck’s family of the events of the past five years.

He added: ‘Her thoughts remain with them, and always will. She always believed Gunner Beck, took her complaint seriously, listened to her and cared.’

Colonel Shepherd was acquitted of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline under the Armed Forces Act 2006 and was allowed to leave the court.

Her co-defendant, Major James Hook, remains on trial facing the same charge.

Catterick Military Court had been told that Gunner Beck took her own life in December 2021 after Webber tried to kiss her and touched her leg in a sexual manner.

Gunner Beck was found in her car early in the morning of July 13, 2021 in an upset state during an adventure training exercise at Thorney Island in Hampshire.

She first told Major Hook, who was then a captain and in charge of the training course, what had happened to her, and the matter was then taken to Col Shepherd, the regimental colonel of the Royal Artillery at the time.

Cdr Patterson said the allegations made by Gunner Beck were not treated seriously enough. He added: ‘The prosecution case is that she told each of them about an incident that had happened… and she told each of them enough to understand that she may have been sexually assaulted.’

In his opening statement, the prosecutor said that Warrant Officer Webber, Gunner Beck and Lance Corporal Drew Tudor were drinking together until the early hours of the morning of July 13.

Later that morning, Lance Corporal Tudor found Gunner Beck asleep in her car and she told him about what happened with Warrant Officer Webber.

Cdr Patterson said the lance corporal went to speak to Major Hook who got in the car and Gunner Beck repeated what she had said. 

The prosecutor said Hook and Gunner Beck then went on a walk and the officer gave the teenager until noon to decide whether she wanted to make a complaint.

Cdr Patterson said of his actions: ‘Far from empowering her, this could be seen as leaning on her.’

It is alleged that he tried to discourage Gunner Beck from making a formal complaint by telling her that Webber would ‘almost certainly’ get into trouble.

The trial against Major Hook continues.