The head of the British Army blasted senior officers in a letter last week, saying they weren’t doing enough to root out sexual assault and harassment in the ranks following the December 2021 suicide of a young U.K. soldier.
The Feb. 14 letter from General Sir Roly Walker, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily Mail, came amid the ongoing inquest into the case of Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, who was found dead at a U.K. army post in Wiltshire, about 90 miles west of London. Before her death, Beck accused a supervisor of pinning her down and attempting to kiss her and complained about the behavior of another “psychotic and possessive” fellow soldier.
Gen. Walker said there have been numerous reports of “appalling and shameful behavior” in the army since the death of the gunner — a rank analogous to “private” in the U.S. Army.
“Let me be clear. It is just not good enough that behaviors that do not match our values and standards are still happening,” he wrote in the letter. “It is even worse if the Chain of Command is not doing enough or is actively complicit in this.”
On Tuesday, a senior British officer apologized for how Beck was treated in the army, saying the service should have done more and had let her down.
“What is clear is that, irrespective of the policies we had in place and the training, somehow people did not understand what was expected of them and didn’t have the confidence to act,” Brigadier Melissa Emmett testified during the inquest, according to the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
“We left Jaysley not aware of how she could raise her concerns and have the confidence to be listened to,” Brigadier Emmett said.
Leighann McCready said her daughter was more than a soldier, calling her “a daughter, a sister, and a friend” who was kind, bright, and full of life.
“She should still be here,” Ms. McCready told the Daily Mail. “Her voice was silenced, but her story speaks louder than ever. Over 700 voices have come forward. No one should have to suffer in silence.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.