New military crimes unit set up after Jaysley Beck death 'failing victims' of sexual offences in Army
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A recent report found the unit was suffering from a lack of resources and would fail standards testing if it was a civilian organisation
‘Systematic failings’ are blighting a new military crimes unit set up following the death of a young soldier who was sexually assaulted.
An internal review has found that the Defence Serious Crime Command (DSCC) unit is not meeting standards. The document, leaked to the BBC, found concluded that the DSCC would be at “ a significant risk of being graded as inadequate” if it was subjected to similar scrutiny of civilian police forces.
The unit was set up in 2022 following the death of 19-year-old Gunner Jaysley Beck, who took her own life after her complaints of being sexually assaulted by a senior colleague at Thorney Island near Emsworth were not acted upon. She was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021.
At her inquest last year, Nicholas Rheinberg, assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, deemed her passing as suicide and determined that the British Army’s failure to deal with her complaints was “more than a minimal contributory factor”.
Ahmed Al-Nahhas, partner and head of the military claims team at the law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, said he was not surprised that the DSCC was “failing victims”. He added: “The MOD has spent considerable resources explaining away woeful inadequacies in the handling of inappropriate behaviour and sexual crimes across the military, and this latest initiative is another failed promise.”
The DSCC was set up to handle the most severe cases, including rape and sexual assault. The internal review, carried out between August 21, 2025, and November 12, 2025, was overseen by a former senior civilian police officer.
It determined the DSCC risks failing victims due to ineffective investigations which are “slow and overly bureaucratic”, gaps in victim support, insufficient resources, and workforce instability.
Investigative processes were found to have been "hindered by excessive reporting requirements, unclear guidance and inconsistencies", and without reform there would be an “erosion of trust” in the military justice system. The review added that the DSCC needed to "strengthen leadership" in the way it handles cases of rape and serious sexual offences.
Gnr Beck’s mum Leighann McCready said people in the armed forces "deserve so much better". She told the BBC: “It's extremely disappointing to hear that military policing continues to be affected by such serious challenges. Sadly Jaysley's case didn't even get sent to the police until after she died and the coroner made his critical findings. This report makes me fear for our young service women wanting to report today."
Since the inquest, former Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, was jailed for six months after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting Gnr Beck. Colonel Samantha Shepherd and Major James Hook both denied “conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline” into the young soldier’s death. They are scheduled due to go on trial in a military court on September 14.
Mr Al-Nahhas said numerous reviews, including the Atherton report, recommended that responsibility for serious sexual crimes should be taken away from the MoD. “Which for too long has been marking its own homework,” he added.
“What really sticks in the craw is the MOD’s exceptionalism; on the one hand it wants to be treated very differently because it deals with the defence of the realm, on the other, it cannot live up to the civilian standards that we all live by: those standards demand that sexual crimes are managed, investigated and prosecuted with rigour, integrity and transparency.
“Without safe systems in place, victims will not be supported, and key evidence will not be gathered that would lead to convictions. The MoD cannot be trusted to handle these issues and continues to fail servicewomen."
The MoD told the BBC that it accepted the findings in the review and significant work has been undertaken since. This includes further investment in victim and welfare support, stronger governance and safeguarding arrangements, and holding investigators to nationally recognised police standards.
It added that the review was commissioned "to provide honest challenge, identify areas of improvement and to help ensure the highest standards for victims and witnesses", and the DSCC will ensure that victims receive the support and service they deserve.