- Two senior Army officers, Colonel Samantha Shepherd and Major James Hook, have denied charges of "conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline" following the suicide of teenage soldier Gunner Jaysley Beck in 2021.
- Colonel Shepherd faces two charges for allegedly failing to report an alleged sexual assault to service police and misreporting information provided by Gunner Beck, while Major Hook is charged with not treating information from Beck with appropriate seriousness.
- The charges relate to their handling of information before Gunner Beck was found hanged, with an inquest concluding that the sexual assault and the Army's failure to act "more than minimally" contributed to her death.
- Gunner Beck's superior, Michael Webber, was jailed for six months last year for sexually assaulting her five months before her death, an incident which was not reported to police by her superiors despite her complaint.
- Both officers pleaded not guilty via video-link at the Military Court Centre, with their trial scheduled for five days starting on September 14, and Gunner Beck's family expressing continued unhappiness with the Army's response to failings.
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Army officers deny charges over handling of Jaysley Beck sex assault
