A British Army sniper sexually assaulted a sleeping female colleague after they had been to the funeral of their fellow soldier, a court martial heard.
Fusilier Jack Laing, 22, allegedly left his colleague ‘frozen’ in fear during the attack, in which he had been drinking.
After coming into her room while she was sleeping, he then began touching her.
She told the court she originally awoke to a ‘pleasurable’ feeling with ‘butterflies in my stomach’, thinking it was her boyfriend being intimate with her.
But after realising where she was and that it was Fus Laing ‘taking advantage’ of her while she was asleep on a yoga mat on the floor, she was left feeling ‘dirty, disgusted and angry’.
The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been left suffering from sleepless nights due to ‘nightmares’ following the incident, the court martial was told.
Fusilier Jack Laing, 22, allegedly left his colleague ‘frozen’ in fear during the attack, in which he had been drinking
Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard how Fus Laing allegedly touched the woman intimately after joining her in the spare room of her apartment following drinks to celebrate the life of their late colleague.
The 22 year old sniper, of 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment Fusiliers, denies sexually assaulting her, claiming it was consensual.
Prosecutor Wing Commander Michael Saunders told the hearing: ‘The complainant says she woke in the spare room to Fus Laing touching her. At first she thought it was her boyfriend.
‘Of course she cannot consent when she was asleep.’
The court martial heard that after the funeral for a fellow Fusilier, in a ‘last minute decision’, the woman allowed Fus Laing and several other male colleagues to stay at her flat with her friend.
Although there had been ‘a lot of alcohol’ during the day and evening of the funeral the sniper only started drinking when he got to the apartment and the woman had not been drinking at all.
Wing Commander Saunders continued: ‘[The woman] said that under no circumstances could anybody sleep in her double bed.
‘She went to bed at 2 o’clock in the morning, and left the others drinking.’
The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been left suffering from sleepless nights due to ‘nightmares’ following the incident, the court martial was told
The court heard she was left ‘annoyed’ as one of the other soldiers had come into her room and and fallen asleep on her bed, on the duvet.
She ended up sleeping on a yoga mat on the floor of her spare room, the court martial heard.
‘Her next memory is waking up shortly before her alarm clock to [Fus Laing] sleeping next to her,’ Wg Cdr Saunders said.
‘The crown’s case is that by the time he [Fus Laing] went into the room, was drunk, and slept next to her and at some point woke up when she was asleep.
‘[Whether it was] spur of the moment, or opportunity to take advantage, he either knew she was asleep or didn’t bother to check.’
Giving evidence the woman said: ‘I went into the bedroom, pulled out a yoga mat and slept on that.’
When asked of her next memory, she replied: ‘Being woken up to the feeling of pleasure. It was butterflies in my stomach. [Fus Laing] was causing that.
Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard how Fus Laing allegedly touched the woman intimately after joining her in the spare room of her apartment following drinks to celebrate the life of their late colleague
‘At first I thought he was someone else – my boyfriend, but then I realised where I was.
‘I froze I didn’t know what to do. I stayed in that position until my alarm went off and I told him to stop.
‘I didn’t tell anyone what had happened, to be honest I don’t really think it had registered it until a bit later on. I was more ashamed than anything else, at first.’
The court heard that when back on camp, the female soldier was suffering from sleepless nights because of ‘nightmares about what happened on that night’.
The following week, her platoon sergeant noticed she was acting ‘strangely’.
She told the court: ‘A couple of days later he saw me and asked how I was doing. I told him I was still struggling and he told me to go and see him.
‘He said what’s going on and I tried to say nothing, but he said ‘something’s wrong’ and I told him. I felt dirty, disgusted and angry.’
Fus Laing, claims the woman was awake and a ‘willing participant’ in the sexual activity.
He denies one charge of sexual assault by penetration. The trial continues.
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