A 19 year old soldier was found dead on base after her boss bombarded her with texts, potentially contributing to her death.
Jaysley Beck was a Royal Artillery Gunner who was found at Larkhill Camp in 2021. She was just nineteen years old.
An inquiry suggested that the unwelcome messages sent by her boss, Ryan Mason, a Bombardier, contributed to her death.
Mason sent many texts to Jaysley between October and December, including 3,600 texts in November. Some messages expressed his love for her, though he clarified that he loved her “as a friend.”
On November 25th, Jaysley told Mason that the messages were too much and that she did not want a relationship. She wanted him to stop telling her his feelings.
Jaysley worried that Mason was watching her movements and found it weird and bizarre. She said the situation felt psychotic.
Eleven days before her death, she told Mason to stop sending messages. Minutes after she replied, he sent more texts, causing her to feel pressured and overwhelmed.
Jaysley’s mother said that Mason crossed boundaries and became a “creep,” in her daughter’s eyes. Jaysley cried about Mason hacking her phone and feared he was listening to her calls on December 7th.
Jaysley wrote a draft message to Mason expressing that she felt trapped and not normal. She stated that his behaviour was possessive and psychotic, and that her mental health suffered. She felt she needed time away.
In July 2021, Jaysley reported an assault where a sergeant touched her inappropriately during team-building. She slept in her car that night, fearing returning to her room. The sergeant apologized with a letter and received a minor punishment, telling her afterwards that his “door was open.” She felt angered by this. The inquest is ongoing.