Soldier, 19, found dead in room begged ‘infatuated’ boss ‘I want to live my life’
14 February 2025, 06:07
A 19-year-old soldier found dead in her room had begged her infatuated boss “I want to live my life” after he bombarded her with thousands of unsolicited messages and told her he would self-harm over jealousy.
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Jaysley Beck, 19, was left terrified by the “psychotic and possessive” behaviour of her line manager Bombardier Ryan Mason, an inquest has heard.
Gunner Beck was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15 2021, aged just 19.
In the months prior to her passing, Mason allegedly became infatuated with Beck, limiting her friendships with other men, the inquest heard.
A Ministry of Defence investigation found this obsession was a “causal factor” in her death.
Bombardier George Young told the inquest Mason became possessive, alleging he manipulated rotas to be working with Beck as often as possible.
The inquest heard Beck had texted Mason on November 15, 2021, saying: “I am not going to lie to you, me and George have a friendship and I won’t lose that. I feel like I cannot do certain things because of you.
“I want to live my life and if that is being friends with George then nobody should question that.
“You do have to see where I am coming from. I don’t want to be the person putting you through this. I am not going to lie to you, this has to stop now because it’s becoming hard for me.”
Later she added: “Ryan don’t do something stupid, I am serious, don’t put your family through that. All I am doing is worrying what you are going to do.”
He replied: “You have literally saved my life Jaysley.”
Young reportedly urged Beck to inform higher-ups of Mason’s behaviour but she didn’t out of fear “it could affect my position on the team”.
“Jaysley cared about people a lot and she took their wellbeing above her own,” Young said.
“She didn’t want to get someone in trouble despite it not being right.”
Eventually, when Beck and Mason were staying in the same hotel, on December 7, he had “tried knocking on her hotel door”, Young said.
Young then drove for an hour to pick Beck up.
“She was trembling and said the intensity of the behaviour really ramped up,” he said.
Beck had become disillusioned with the impact of reporting sexual harassment in the army, Young said, with the 19-year-old fearing it would damage her career.
“I do know from speaking to people, that is a common issue raised across the board,” he said.
“People will say something and be seen as a troublemaker. Things would get squashed and swept under the carpet. The system wasn’t set up to deal with that.”
Beck had become concerned people were spreading rumours about her behaviour with male soldiers, at one point texting Mason: “I haven’t done anything wrong but it’s still the image it looks on me.
“They will begin to think ‘she is a slag, she is making her way around the lads’. That is every female in the Army. If I was a lad nothing would be said.”
The inquest continues.
