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A former military sergeant has been given 180 days in jail for committing sexual assault against a teenage servicewoman who later took her own life.

Warrant Officer Michael Webber, forty-three, held down Royal Artillery Gunner the victim and sought to make physical contact in mid-2021. She was found dead five months later in her military accommodation at Larkhill, Wiltshire.

The defendant, who was sentenced at the legal proceedings in Wiltshire previously, will be transferred to a civilian prison and on the offender database for a seven-year period.

The victim's mother the mother commented: "The assault, and how the Army failed to protect our young woman subsequently, resulted in her suicide."

Official Reaction

The armed forces said it ignored the servicewoman, who was hailing from Cumbria's Oxen Park, when she disclosed the incident and has expressed regret for its management of her complaint.

After an inquest into the tragic death, the accused admitted to the offense of sexual assault in last fall.

Ms McCready said her daughter could have been sitting with her loved ones in the courtroom this day, "to witness the man she reported held accountable for his actions."

"Conversely, we appear in her absence, facing perpetual grief that no relatives should be forced to endure," she stated further.

"She adhered to protocols, but the accountable parties failed in their duties. These shortcomings shattered our child utterly."

Press Association

Legal Hearing

The legal tribunal was told that the incident happened during an field exercise at the training location, near the Hampshire area, in July 2021.

The sergeant, a ranking soldier at the period, initiated inappropriate contact towards the soldier subsequent to an social gathering while on assignment for a field training.

The victim claimed the sergeant stated he had been "seeking a chance for them to be in private" before grabbing her leg, pinning her down, and trying to kiss her.

She filed a complaint against Webber following the assault, notwithstanding efforts by military leadership to discourage her.

An official inquiry into her death found the military's management of the report played "more than a minimal contributing factor in her suicide."

Family Statement

In a account read out to the judicial body during proceedings, the mother, stated: "Our daughter had only become a teenager and will forever remain a young person full of life and laughter."

"She believed people to defend her and after what he did, the trust was gone. She was extremely troubled and scared of the sergeant."

"I witnessed the transformation firsthand. She felt helpless and deceived. That assault destroyed her trust in the system that was supposed to look after her."

Judge's Statement

During sentencing, The presiding judge the magistrate said: "We need to assess whether it can be dealt with in an alternative approach. We do not believe it can."

"We have determined the gravity of the violation means it can only be dealt with by immediate custody."

He spoke to the convicted individual: "The servicewoman had the courage and good sense to tell you to stop and instructed you to go to bed, but you persisted to the degree she felt she would remain in danger from you even if she returned to her own accommodation."

He stated further: "The following day, she reported the incident to her relatives, her acquaintances and her commanding officers."

"Subsequent to the allegations, the unit opted to handle the situation with light disciplinary measures."

"You underwent questioning and you accepted your behavior had been inappropriate. You wrote a letter of apology."

"Your professional path advanced completely unaffected and you were eventually promoted to higher rank."

Background Information

At the inquest into the soldier's suicide, the coroner said Capt James Hook influenced her to cease proceedings, and merely disclosed it to a military leadership "once details became known."

At the time, Webber was given a "minimal consequence discussion" with no serious repercussions.

The inquest was also told that only a short time after the violation the servicewoman had further been exposed to "relentless harassment" by another soldier.

Bombardier Ryan Mason, her commanding individual, sent her over four thousand six hundred SMS communications expressing emotions for her, in addition to a multi-page "romantic narrative" outlining his "imagined scenarios."

Family handout

Institutional Response

The Army expressed it provided its "heartfelt apologies" to the soldier and her loved ones.

"We continue to be profoundly sorry for the deficiencies that were noted at the official inquiry in winter."

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