A senior British Army staff sergeant stands accused of sexually assaulting a female colleague in a shocking incident following a boozy mess dinner, a military court has heard. SSgt James Powe, 1st Signal Regiment, allegedly “dry-humped” the naked woman as she slept, leaving her feeling “vulnerable” and “sick to her stomach.”
The alleged assault took place after the pair attended an Army “dine-out,” a formal event marking a departure from the unit. During the dinner, which involved heavy drinking, SSgt Powe reportedly gave the woman advice on etiquette. Later, the two returned to her room, where, according to prosecutors, there may have been consensual kissing and undressing.
The victim, whose identity remains protected for legal reasons, testified at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire that she awoke to find SSgt Powe pressing himself against her back and bottom. “It felt like he was trying to initiate sex,” she said. “I turned around and said, ‘What the f***?’ I felt completely taken advantage of.”
SSgt Powe, who was engaged at the time, left the room after the woman confronted him. He later messaged her, asking if she was on the pill—a question that intensified her fears about what might have occurred while she was asleep.
The victim, who had been drinking heavily during the dinner and could not recall the events leading up to the alleged assault, sought medical advice the next day out of concern she could be pregnant. “I’ll never know if something more happened,” she said, adding that the uncertainty had compounded her distress.
She told the court that the encounter left her deeply unsettled. After returning to work, she said she vomited in a “trauma response” when she saw SSgt Powe for the first time following the incident. “Seeing him again brought everything back,” she testified.
SSgt Powe denies the charge of sexual assault. His defence argues that he woke up to his phone alarm, got dressed, and left the room while the alleged victim was still sleeping.
The prosecution, led by Captain Ciaran Rafferty, argued that SSgt Powe’s actions were non-consensual and violated the trust of his colleague. He stated, “The victim did not consent to this behaviour.”
The trial, which is ongoing, will determine whether SSgt Powe’s account holds up against the allegations.