JUSTICE MINISTER TO EXAMINE CASE OF BRITISH WOMAN ASSAULTED BY US PILOT

A UK justice minister has said the Ministry of Justice will examine the case of a British woman assaulted by an American fighter pilot. Sarah Steele, a British academic, came forward to describe her experience as "distressing and degrading" after being attacked by the airman in Cambridge in late 2023. Jacob Wulfson, a US Air Force captain, was tried by US military prosecutors after the assault occurred. Justice Minister Jake Richards told BBC Radio 4 he considered the case "really serious" and would review it with his department over coming days and weeks.

The assault took place on UK soil after Steele and Wulfson met on a dating app. American military police assumed control of the case, and Wulfson's court martial was heard in April at RAF Lakenheath, the largest US military base in the UK. Under UK law, British law enforcement holds primary jurisdiction over crimes committed outside US bases when military personnel are off duty. The case has raised questions about how UK authorities transfer authority to the US military in such circumstances.

Richards acknowledged that military courts present complex jurisdictional questions, whether American or British. He said the Ministry of Justice would examine how military courts interact with UK criminal and civil courts. The justice minister stated he would not comment on specific details to avoid undermining a thorough investigation. Wulfson was convicted of strangling an intimate partner but acquitted of sexual assault in his court martial.