A former Royal Navy cook has been sentenced to 18 months in a military detention centre after a court martial found her guilty of six sexual assaults against four colleagues aboard the warship HMS Dauntless.
Military court ruling
Sian Dowsett, 25, was sentenced by Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire. According to the ruling, she had targeted four younger crew members, two women and two men.
Judge John Atwill described her behaviour as predatory and told the court that the victims had been distressed, frightened and shaken by her actions.
What was said in court
During the proceedings, details emerged about the 25-year-old’s conduct on board. According to testimony presented in court, she used her position to exert pressure on and intimidate younger colleagues.
She was accused of inappropriate touching of male sailors, including touching intimate parts, while female colleagues were subjected to physical acts without their consent.
Victims’ silence and climate of fear
The court heard that some of the victims had hesitated to report the incidents because of shame and fear of her reaction. Dowsett was described as a person with aggressive and intimidating behaviour.
One of the female victims said she had spent many sleepless nights while serving on the same ship as her. Another sailor said he had been assaulted in the medical bay and in a ship hangar, saying he felt ashamed and angry about what had happened.
Autism as a defence argument was not accepted
During the hearing, defence lawyer Michael Green argued that his client had recently been diagnosed with autism, which he said could cause difficulties in social interactions and in adapting to institutional environments.
The court found that this could not be used as a justification for the acts committed. According to the judge, this was behaviour that any person understands is unacceptable.
In his reasoning, the judge said such offences strike at the basic trust on which military service operates and damage team cohesion.
The final sentence was 18 months in a military detention centre.