A former soldier accused of harassing a junior ranking and younger colleague who was found dead in her room at an army camp has told an inquest his “aim was not to manipulate”.
Royal Artillery Gnr Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at Larkhill camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021, the inquest into her death in Salisbury has heard.
Beck received 3,600 messages from her senior line manager, Bdr Ryan Mason, in the November before she died. She described Mason as being “psychotic and possessive”, the inquest was told. He sent her more than 1,000 messages the previous month.
Appearing in person, Mason, who is now working as a driving instructor, declined to answer questions about his interactions and relationship with Beck.
Asked by the assistant coroner Nicholas Rheinberg if he had threatened suicide or self-harm to manipulate Beck into a close relationship, Mason said: “My aim was never … it was not to manipulate or stuff … I don’t know if I had an aim … I can’t remember.”
Rheinberg had advised Mason that he did not have to answer questions if his answers were likely to incriminate him. Mason denied asking Beck to sleep with him while they were staying in a hotel in Swindon for an event in December 2021.
The inquest was read a message that Beck sent to Mason that day which said: “I honestly feel trapped in this whole situation, I have tried to act as a normal as possible because we are working together but nothing is normal about this situation.
“I have tried to be there for you as a friend but it completely crossed the line of that a long time ago. I have felt so uncomfortable at this event, I have literally cried about it and been up worrying about it.
“The truth is I am struggling to deal with all this, it’s taken a huge toll on my mental health for many reasons. I need time out.”
When asked whether he thought he hoped to get into a relationship with Beck, Mason told the inquest: “I knew there was never a chance with Jaysley.”
Alison Gerry, legal counsel for Beck’s family, questioned Mason about WhatsApp messages that he sent to Beck before the coroner halted the line of questioning out of concern for the “mental health” of the witness.
Finishing her questions, Gerry asked Mason: “You were Jaysley’s line manager, you were older, she was a young new soldier and your subordinate and it’s right you became completely obsessed with her, possessive, jealous, manipulative and when she split up with her boyfriend, you were overjoyed as that meant you could be together and, when that did not happen, you became more obsessive and manipulative?”
He replied: “I decline to answer.”
Mason, who left the army a few days before Beck was found dead, after 13 years with the forces, later broke down in tears as he told the hearing that he had suffered from mental health problems since he was a child and had self-harmed in 2015.
The hearing continues.
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In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
Source: theguardian.com
