Nine rapes were referred to Harrogate Military College of Britain for teenagers training for a career in the military, according to new figures. Harrogate is the center where the 19 year old soldier Jaysley-Louise Beck she was allegedly harassed for a long time by her superior to the point of taking her own life.
The new revelations have raised serious questions about the operation of the Harrogate college, which was rated ‘outstanding in all areas’ by the Ofsted inspector. “Thirteen sexual offenses” were reported between 22 July 2022 and 17 August 2023 – including nine allegations of rape, two of sexual assault and two of voyeurism, according to North Yorkshire Police and the Crime Commissioner, as reported by Daily Mail.
Jaysley Beck was ‘exploited’ by four men, including her boss, before taking her own life in December 2021. She joined the army in 2019 aged just 16 – having started recruit training in Harrogate before joining 47 Regiment of the Royal Artillery . Before her death she suffered a “intense period of unwanted behavior” by a superior who now faces dismissal from the military, according to an official investigation.
In 2021, they started nine investigations into the sexual abuse of 22 recruits;, most of whom were girls. In January 2023, an instructor, Simon Bartman, was sentenced to 20 months in military custody after being found guilty of sexual assault as well as eight counts of cruel or indecent lewd conduct.
David Gee, his adviser International Network for the Rights of the Child (Crin), said he thought that “with this record, Harrogate cannot be considered safe». “This is not a British problem. This is a problem all over the world when young people are recruited. It’s not something you can solve by forcing one zero tolerance policy and hopefully it will go away,” he said.
Britain is the only country in the whole of Europe that recruits 16- and 17-year-olds into its armed forces. There are more than 1,300 recruits at Harrogate College – with female staff making up 11.7% of recruits to the armed forces. David Gee also said: “None of the Ofsted reports in the last 10 years have said anything about recruitment abuse. Every time we send data to Ofsted and give them the sources, they say: ‘It’s not relevant to our inspections’.”
A letter to the Crin Network last June from Paul Joyce, deputy director of Ofsted, said any new allegations of abuse should be made to the police, the local child protection board and the military. The letter read: “Ofsted does not investigate complaints [ένοπλων] services, nor do we play any role in military disciplinary proceedings or prosecutions.”
19-year-old Private Beck, who joined the army at the age of 16, was targeted by men chasing her for relationships. Before kill himself she was in a relationship with a married senior NCO who often showed up drunk in her room late at night. Another male soldier, a warrant officer, is said to have sexually assaulted her on a night out by putting his hands between her legs and grabbing her by the throat at a party. She had to hide in a bathroom to escape him.
The report found another contributing factor in Beck’s death was a “difficult long-term relationship” with a trainer that ended on Nov. 21, shortly before her death. The report said “many aspects of this relationship were positive” but “it was also characterized by mistrust and repeated allegations of infidelity on the part of the boyfriend”. An army spokesman said: “We have very strong safeguarding mechanisms in place at the Army Foundation College” as well as “multiple methods of accessing welfare support, including confidential support lines”.
Source: News Beast
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