Colonel cleared of not properly handling allegations by soldier who killed herself

Samantha Shepherd faced court martial over case of 19-year-old Jaysley Beck, who had made a sexual assault claim

A senior army officer has been cleared by a court martial of failing to deal properly with allegations made by a teenage soldier who went on to kill herself.

Col Samantha Shepherd had been accused of “conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline” over the case of 19-year-old Gunner Jaysley Beck, who took her own life in December 2021.