Army colonel Samantha Shepherd has been found not guilty of failing to properly deal with abuse allegations made by Gunner Jaysley Beck before her death.
Gunner Beck, 19, took her own life in December 2021 after being sexually assaulted by a superior, former senior non-commissioned officer Michael Webber.
Webber, 43, was jailed for six months by a military court in 2025 after pleading guilty to the assault.
An earlier inquest into Gunner Beck’s death found that the incident and the army’s failure to take appropriate action “more than minimally” contributed to her death.
Colonel Shepherd faced a court martial at Catterick Garrison this week, which examined how she responded to Gunner Beck’s reporting of Webber’s assault on her.
She pleaded not guilty in March to a charge of conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline.
It alleged that “on a date in July 2021, you misreported what you had been told by Jaysley Beck on Jul 13 2021, to Mae King”.
Captain King was the adjutant at the 14 Regiment Royal Artillery, which is responsible for discipline.
Major James Hook faced the court martial alongside Colonel Shepherd this week, facing an allegation that “on July 13, 2021 you did not treat information passed to yourself by Jaysley Beck in a manner consistent with its seriousness”.
Prosecutors said on Tuesday that both senior officers “let down” Gunner Beck when she told them about an incident which happened on a Royal Artillery adventure training exercise on Thorney Island, in Chichester Harbour.
Prosecutors said that the young soldier “told each of them enough to understand that she may been sexually assaulted”.
In a prepared statement given to military police, Colonel Shepherd said that she believed she had disclosed the allegation to Captain King but could not be sure, the court martial heard.
On Wednesday, Assistant Judge Advocate General Edward Legard told the board: “The Crown has concluded that there is insufficient evidence upon which you can safely convict Colonel Shepherd of the charge she faces.”
The board, which consists of an Air Commodore, a Royal Navy captain and an Army colonel, formally returned a not guilty verdict, on the directions of the judge, and Colonel Shepherd left the court.
The trial of Major Hook continues.
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