Mr Rheinberg asked Mr Mason: “At this stage Jaysley was 19, do you think it appropriate for a much older man of more senior rank to off-load their troubles to a 19-year-old?” to which Mr Mason replied: “I will decline to answer.”.
Mr Mason was asked a series of questions by the family’s counsel, Alison Gerry, about the Whatsapp messages that he sent to Gunner Beck before the coroner halted the line of questioning out of concern for the “mental health” of the witness.
Finishing her questions, Ms Gerry asked Mr 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?”.
Mr Rheinberg asked Mr Mason: “Did you perceive that your constant pursuing of Jaysley would cause her to suffer stress?” to which he replied: “I decline to answer.”.
When asked by the coroner Nicholas Rheinberg if he began to have romantic feelings for Gunner Beck and had declared his love for her, Mr Mason, who now works as a driving instructor, declined to answer.
