Colonel cleared over handling of soldier abuse case

Shepherd has been in court alongside Maj James Hook, whose trial continues.The two senior officers were accused of "conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline".On Tuesday, the military court heard claims the 19-year-old had been "let down" when she told Shepherd and Hook "enough to understand that she may have been sexually assaulted" five months before she took her own life.The board was told a chain of command failed to properly deal with the case.Hook and Shepherd were charged by the Service Prosecution Authority over their handling of the case earlier this year.In October, Webber was jailed for six months for sexual assault.The attack happened at a Royal Artillery adventure training exercise on Thorney Island, in Chichester Harbour, in July 2021.At the time, Minister for Veterans and People, Louise Sandher-Jones MP described Jaysley's death as a "tragedy".She said: "Let me be clear, there is no place for criminal or unacceptable behaviours within the military."Assistant chief of general staff Maj Gen Jon Swift said the Army was "sorry we didn't listen to Jaysley when she first reported her assault".He added: "We are determined to make sure the same mistakes don't happen again."