Downing Street has described as “very concerning” the case of an American fighter pilot who avoided trial under English law for strangling a woman in Cambridge. Captain Jacob Wulfson was tried at a court martial on a US airbase despite the alleged crime occurring while he was off-duty.
Case Details and Victim's Experience
As first reported by the Guardian, the case was not investigated by local police but was instead handed to the US military. The victim, Sarah Steele, said she was treated “incredibly aggressively” by the pilot’s defence team and felt like she was the one on trial.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman questioned why the case never reached the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). He said: “This is clearly a deeply distressing case, our thoughts are with the victim. She’s shown incredible bravery not only in her initial report to police, but also in coming forward to speak to the media to help get justice for others.”
Government Response and Investigation
The spokesman said the Government was “going to look really carefully at what’s happened here, and we must stress that we’re still establishing the facts”. He added: “But of course this is very concerning that a case like this never reached the CPS, but was investigated by US airbase police and heard in front of an all-male panel of air force officers.”
Justice minister Jake Richards described the case as “really serious” and said there are “issues” around the military courts system. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s a really serious case. It’s very good that it’s being raised by yourselves and others. I’m going to take it away back to the Ministry of Justice and make sure that we are looking into the details of this later.”
Police and Military Involvement
Cambridgeshire Constabulary said that, in December 2023, information shared by the US Air Force (USAF) “indicated that the victim did not wish to be contacted” by them. “Following a welfare visit in February 2024, the victim directly confirmed to Cambridgeshire Constabulary officers that she wished the matter to remain under the investigation of the USAF,” a spokesperson added.
However, Ms Steele told the Guardian that Cambridgeshire Constabulary did not get in touch to discuss whether she wanted the case to be handed over. When they spoke to her months later, she feared the investigation would have to start again or the pilot might flee the country if local police took over.
Trial and Sentencing
Ms Steele, an academic, met Captain Wulfson on a dating app and arranged to meet at his flat while he was working at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. She left the next morning feeling something was wrong, later accusing him of non-consensual sex, drugging, and strangling her. He was charged with sexual assault and aggravated sexual contact, and was ultimately found guilty of strangulation but acquitted of the other charges.
The judge in the court martial was a US air force colonel, and the jury was a panel of eight air force officers. Some British terms had to be explained to the panel, and Captain Wulfson’s “enemies killed in action count” as an F-35 pilot was used as mitigation for his sentence, the newspaper reported.
Speaking about the trial, Ms Steele said: “It was a very difficult system to be in, and at times I was treated incredibly aggressively, and I felt like I was on trial, and it became a character assassination. People are attacking you with assertions that are trying to undermine, say that you’re lying, say that you’re a problem, say that you’re all manner of evil things and that you’re creating this, and you’ve got to wade through that staring in the face of the accused.”
Legal and Political Reactions
The court martial handed Captain Wulfson a sentence of six months at a correctional facility at RAF Lakenheath. Calling for clearer guidance on who should prosecute such cases, Ms Steele said: “I think it’s really important that for the interests of justice and for the rights of victims, that we have clear framework discussion around this.”
There are around 12 active US air force bases across the UK. The US military justice system has a distinct legal framework and is separate from British civilian courts. Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy called on David Lammy to “urgently review” the case. In a letter to the Justice Secretary, he said: “Under the Nato Status of Forces of Agreement 1951, US military authorities only have primary jurisdiction to prosecute in cases where an offence was committed on duty, towards another armed forces member, or towards a dependent. This case should have been fully investigated by the English police and prosecuted in our courts, with the defendant tried by a jury and the sentence determined by a judge. Therefore, I ask you urgently to review what happened in this case, confirm who decided to relinquish UK jurisdiction, and ensure that justice is served.”
