Key facts
- Cambridgeshire police allowed the US military to take investigative primacy in a sexual assault case.
- The victim, Sarah Steele, disputes claims that she did not wish to speak to British police.
- The accused, US Air Force Capt Jacob Wulfson, was tried by a military tribunal and convicted of strangulation.
- Wulfson received a six-month sentence in a correctional facility.
- Steele has called for greater scrutiny of UK police handling of cases involving US military personnel.
Cambridgeshire police are under scrutiny for their decision to allow the US military to prosecute a sexual assault case involving an American fighter pilot stationed in the UK. The incident occurred in December 2023 when Capt Jacob Wulfson allegedly strangled Sarah Steele in his Cambridge city centre apartment.
In the days following the assault, Cambridgeshire police ceded investigative primacy to the US military, accepting a claim that Steele did not wish to be contacted by British police. However, Steele has vehemently denied this, stating she never told anyone she did not want to speak to British police and that the military investigation moved rapidly without her full consultation.
This decision led to Wulfson being tried in a military tribunal at RAF Lakenheath, where he was convicted of strangulation and sentenced to six months in a correctional facility. He was acquitted of more serious charges, including aggravated sexual contact. Steele described her experience with the US military justice system as "degrading and distressing".
The case has prompted widespread concern, with the UK government pledging to look into the matter. The decision by Cambridgeshire police to hand over jurisdiction, particularly when the crime occurred off-base and the perpetrator was off-duty, appears to contradict policies in neighbouring police forces that generally do not waive jurisdiction for crimes against UK citizens. Steele is advocating for greater transparency and victim consultation in such cases.