20-05-2025
Army gunner ‘invented sex tape' to refute claim he was bad in bed
An Army gunner said he made up the existence of a sex tape to refute claims he was bad in bed.
Josh Handley, a 17-year-old trainee at the time, allegedly made a recording of himself and a woman during a one-night stand.
He showed friends the tape in order to dispel rumours, allegedly spread by the woman, that he had a small penis.
Gnr Handley is now on trial at Bulford Military Court, in Salisbury, Wilts, charged with three counts of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind, all of which he denies.
The video was allegedly recorded on a mobile phone when the pair were on a night out together with a large group of friends.
The woman did not know their consensual encounter was being filmed, the court heard.
The soldier, who is now in his 20s and a member of the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, showed it to a 'couple of lads' several months after the encounter.
The woman, who is a recruit, confronted Gnr Handley about the footage on Snapchat two years later after a girlfriend of one of the male soldiers told her she had seen the tape.
Gnr Handley confirmed he did film them but no longer had access to the footage.
Graham Coombes, for the prosecution, said: 'She had consensual intercourse, what she did not know was this was being recorded on the accused's phone.
'She took this up with the accused via Snapchat, the conversation confirmed that a video had been recorded by him and had been shown to others.
'He apologised for his actions and said he did not know why he had shown it to a couple of lads.'
Mr Coombes said: 'He was interviewed [by police], he denied the existence of the video, claiming he made up a rumour about it after the complainant spread rumours about him having a small penis and being bad at sex.
'He was trying to cause distress to the complainant with these rumours.'
The alleged victim told the court she was very unhappy when she was told about the video, as sex was a 'private thing'.
She denied spreading rumours about Gnr Handley's size or performance in bed.
