LONDON. — A teenage British female soldier, believed to have taken her own life after relentless sexual harassment by one of her bosses, was bombarded by more than 10 000 WhatsApp messages and voicemails by her boss.
The following month, it increased to more than 35 000 messages and voicemails.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck (19) was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021.
A service inquiry report, seen by the BBC, describes “an intense period of unwelcome behaviour”.
“It is almost certain this was a causal factor in her death,” the report found.
The behaviour from her immediate boss, continued over a period of two months preceding her death, says the report published yesterday.
“Whilst this behaviour ended the week before her death, it appears that it continued to affect her and had taken a significant toll on her mental resilience and well-being,” the report continues.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Gunner Beck’s mother said her daughter had been “down” after months of harassment.
An inquest date to officially determine how Gunner Beck died has yet to be set.
The Army investigation found her boss, who, like everyone in the report, is not named, wanted a relationship with her but she had a boyfriend and did not reciprocate his feelings.
It describes how in October 2021 her boss sent her more than 1,000 WhatsApp messages and voicemails.
The following month this increased to more than 3,500.
The messages involved controlling behaviour.
He constantly sought reassurance she was on her own and made it clear he could not bear the thought of her being with someone else.
Jaysley Beck had initially regarded her boss as a friend and tried to be understanding, but in the weeks before her death she messaged him to say: “I can’t handle it any more. It’s weighing me down.” − BBC.