A UK justice minister has pledged to thoroughly investigate the case of a US Air Force pilot accused of assaulting a British academic, which was adjudicated through a court-martial rather than a UK criminal trial. Justice Minister Jake Richards stated that a "thorough and objective" review will be conducted into the events involving Captain Jacob Wulfson and Sarah Steele.
Steele claims that Wulfson, an F-35 fighter jet pilot stationed at RAF Lakenheath, drugged and strangled her before engaging in sexual activity without her consent in his apartment. The incident occurred in Cambridge while Wulfson was off-duty. Typically, such allegations would be heard in a British crown court before a jury and judge.
However, federal law enforcement negotiated jurisdiction with Cambridgeshire Police, agreeing that the US would handle the case. Steele described the court-martial process at RAF Lakenheath as "degrading" and "aggressive," stating it "became a character assassination."
Under US military law, Wulfson faced a charge of "aggravated sexual assault" instead of rape. The case was heard by a panel of eight male air force officers from the same base. Steele alleged that during the hearing, she was portrayed as "sex-obsessed and financially motivated."
The panel found Wulfson not guilty of aggravated sexual assault. He was convicted on two lesser charges: strangling Steele and wilfully disobeying a commander's orders not to contact his victim post-assault. Following these convictions, Wulfson chose to be sentenced by the panel rather than the judge.
The panel imposed a six-month sentence, the maximum possible being 13 years, to be served in a correctional facility at RAF Lakenheath. Wulfson was also formally reprimanded and dismissed from the air force. He is scheduled to return to the US in September. An automatic review of the case will be conducted by an air force appeals panel in Maryland.
Steele, who waived her right to anonymity, stated her ordeal was "incredibly distressing and degrading." She recounted meeting Wulfson via Tinder in September 2023 and their first meeting on December 1. Before going to his apartment, she had communicated "ground rules" including consent and condom use. She stated that after they drank whisky, "things sped up really quite fast" and that Wulfson penetrated her without a condom while his hand was on her neck, preventing her from speaking. She later woke up in a bath and was driven home by Wulfson. An A&E doctor noted bruising, and she attended a sexual assault referral centre. However, forensic evidence collected was deemed inadmissible under US law applied during the hearing.
Wulfson's defense attorney, Tim Bilecki, claimed Steele's injuries resulted from her "freaking out" after a prior assault and headbutting the pilot. Bilecki also suggested Steele was "set up for money," was a drug abuser, and had taken pills before meeting Wulfson. Steele has denied these claims.
West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy has written to Justice Secretary David Lammy, demanding a review of the case. Cambridgeshire Police confirmed they had agreed to allow the US to "take investigative primacy."
A US Air Force spokesperson stated that their military justice process includes safeguards to ensure fairness, transparency, and thoroughness, emphasizing their priority is to maintain trust and ensure accountability.
Bilecki noted that prosecutors could have charged Wulfson with rape but chose not to, and highlighted his client's acquittal on the sexual assault allegation.