13 hours ago
British Army soldier who sexually assaulted a lesbian colleague while she was asleep has been jailed for seven years
A British Army soldier has been jailed for seven years after he sexually assaulted a lesbian colleague.
Corporal Luke Edwards groped the woman while she was asleep - despite her telling him she was gay.
His victim described the assault - which took place while they were deployed abroad - as a 'harrowing, violating experience'.
The 26-year-old has now been jailed for seven years after being found guilty of two counts of sexual assault by penetration at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire.
The court martial heard Cpl Edwards, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, had only recently been promoted to the rank of Corporal when the incident took place following an evening of drinking.
Lieutenant Colonel Graham Coombes, prosecuting, told the court: 'After an evening of socialising, [the victim] was told by Cpl Edwards that he was locked out of his room and it was agreed that he would stay in her room.
'[The victim] told Cpl Edwards 'Well I am gay and you have a girlfriend so nothing is going to happen'.
'The pair kissed and then Cpl Edwards tried putting his hand down her pants and she pulled his hand away.
'[The victim] said she removed his hand straight away and made it clear to him that she did not want that to happen. She then went to sleep.'
Lt Col Coombes said that as she slept Cpl Edwards assaulted her.
He then said: 'As [the victim] was a lesbian and did not have sex with men, she was not sure what was happening.
'She did not respond to him and was still half asleep and was confused about what was going on.
'She then froze and did not know what to do. She remained in a state of shock.
'She then left the room and went to see a friend and told her that she had been sexually assaulted.'
A statement read out on behalf of the victim said: 'I was subjected to the most harrowing, violating experience when [Cpl Edwards] sexually assaulted me.
'The isolation gave me plenty of time to ruminate. I felt ashamed and hated myself for a long time.
'This impacted how I saw myself and destroyed my self-confidence, finding it impossible to imagine how I could ever trust anyone enough to be in an intimate sexual relationship.
'For a while my general health declined, I couldn't sleep as I constantly had nightmares and flashbacks when I did. It stole from me a sense of peace, security and self-worth.
'The defendant was supposed to be my colleague and completely betrayed my trust.
'He chose to sexually assault me and instead of showing remorse and admitting what he did, he not only denied these offences but maintained that I instigated sexual contact between us.
'His lack of remorse and integrity had caused a further 18 months of unnecessary, prolonged distress.'
James Hay, defending, said: 'The victim accepts that she invited him into her room and into her bed. They also shared a consensual kiss.
'This appears to be a blip in a previously unblemished record. Cpl Edwards will finish his career in the Army today.'
Judge Advocate General Alan Large said: 'In this kind of situation dismissal from the armed forces is inevitable.
'It is agreed that you could come into her bed but she made it clear that no further activity was to take place. You were only able to do it because she was asleep.
'Your actions show the highly damaging affects of sexual offences.
'Service personnel have to have a certain bond of trust to effectively serve and sexual offending undermines this bond.
'This type of case is very serious and needs to be dealt with accordingly.'
As well as being jailed, Cpl Edwards was dismissed from the Army.
