A U.S. airman accused of indecent exposure offenses against five women, including a minor, avoided British prosecution and faced a court martial at his military base in Suffolk. Staff Sergeant Hannes Marschalek, who was stationed at RAF Lakenheath, was alleged to have committed the offenses over a two-month period in 2022.
Cambridgeshire Police arrested Marschalek following complaints, but three weeks later agreed to cede jurisdiction to the U.S. military after an official request. One alleged victim reported seeing Marschalek at his home with his shorts around his knees, exposing himself while holding a mobile phone. Another witness described him as fully naked at his doorway, holding a soft drink can in one hand and his other hand above his head.
Evidence presented at the court martial included text messages from Marschalek to friends in July 2022, where he stated he had "definitely just flashed a couple ladies walking from the train." He also texted about taking off his clothes to open a window for airflow in his home, which he said lacked air conditioning.
In 2023, Marschalek's court martial resulted in a plea bargain that dismissed one of the two indecent conduct charges. He was sentenced to two months in a correctional facility at RAF Lakenheath and dismissed from the Air Force. The maximum sentence for the offense in a UK court is two years.
In April of this year, a U.S. military appeals court overturned the sole guilty verdict, ruling that prosecutors had erred by charging him under the wrong offense. This decision is currently under challenge. Marschalek has since returned to the United States and remains on the sex offender registry there.
The case has drawn criticism from British politicians. Nick Timothy, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, told The Mail that the situation highlights issues seen in a previous case involving another airman, Captain Jacob Wulfson, who was accused of strangulation and unprotected sex. Timothy stated that a treaty dictates U.S. service personnel accused of offenses against local people should be tried in British courts and has called for an investigation by the Justice Secretary.
A spokesman for the U.S. Air Force said jurisdiction was negotiated with local police based on all available facts at the time. Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that victims were consulted before the decision to transfer the investigation and that no complaints were received at the time of the transfer.
RAF Lakenheath is the largest U.S. military base in Britain, housing over 6,000 personnel and their families. The incident has reignited concerns about U.S. military personnel potentially avoiding British justice when accused of crimes in the UK.