Royal Navy officer is cleared of sexually assaulting feminine colleague at Airbnb whereas she was handed out on ‘ladies’ vacation’ whereas the £3.5billion HMS Prince of Wales was docked in Florida
A Royal Navy officer who was accused of sexually assaulting a female colleague at an AirBnB after a night out on a girls’ holiday has been cleared at court martial.
Lieutenant Liam Humphries was accused of taking ‘full advantage’ of the drunk sailor while the £3.5billion aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales was docked in Florida.
Having met the sailor at a nightclub in Daytona Beach, Lt Humphries was said to have molested her while she was passed out at an apartment she was renting with friends.
However, he said that what happened between him and the female sailor – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was consensual.
At Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, Lt Humphries denied one count of sexual assault by penetration and has now been found not guilty by a panel after a five-day trial.
The court heard the alleged incident happened when the 65,000 tonne aircraft carrier travelled to the US.
The vessel – one of the most advanced warships in the world – last week became the Royal Navy’s fleet flagship, taking over from its sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Opening the case, prosecutor Colonel Jim Carmichael had said the female sailor couldn’t have consented because she was unconscious when the penetration started.
Lieutenant Liam Humphries was cleared of taking ‘advantage’ of a drunk sailor while the £3.5 billion aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales was docked in Florida
The HMS Prince of Wales – one of the most advanced warships in the world – became the Royal Navy’s fleet flagship, taking over from its sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth
At Bulford Military Court, Lt Humphries was cleared by a court martial board
Col Carmichael said: ‘[The victim] was serving on board HMS Prince of Wales, also serving on board was Lt Humphries, he was an education officer.
‘The Prince of Wales docked in Florida, [the victim] with her friends decided to have a girls’ holiday in Daytona Beach, also present [in the city] were around 20 to 30 male officers.
‘[The victim] and her friends had some pizza and drinks, they went into downtown Daytona Beach for a night out.
‘Towards the end of the night she went into the toilet of the nightclub, she can’t remember anything between then and waking up in her AirBnB.
‘The first thing she can remember is waking up in bed with the defendant penetrating her with his fingers… she had not consented to this.’
It was argued the woman ‘consented’ to a sex act with Humphries.
‘The issue in this case is a straightforward one, she could not have consented because she was unconscious at the time,’ Col Carmichael said.
The sailor told her friends the next day that she thought she had been spiked although a test at a clinic in Florida came back negative, the court heard.
HMS Prince Of Wales is one of the most prestigious vessels in the Royal Navy, housing more than 1,500 personnel and up to 48 stealth fighter jets.
