Army colonel cleared of mishandling abuse report in Gunner Beck case

A military court at Catterick Garrison acquitted Army colonel Samantha Shepherd of two offences alleging misconduct in handling abuse allegations raised by Gunner Jaysley Beck. Beck, a 19-year-old who died by suicide in December 2021, had reported being sexually assaulted by former senior non-commissioned officer Michael Webber, who was sentenced to six months in 2025 after pleading guilty. The charges against Shepherd claimed she failed to report the assault to the service police on 13 July 2021 and later gave a misleading account of Beck’s statement to another individual.

Shepherd denied the accusations, and the court martial concluded she was not guilty of either charge. The inquest into Beck’s death had previously found the army’s inadequate response contributed to the tragedy.