A British Army corporal who ‘pinned’ a female colleague down on her bed by her wrists and ‘nibbled’ her ear while rubbing himself against her has been kicked out of the military.
‘Very drunk’ Corporal James Larty attacked the woman in her own room wearing just his boxer shorts after boozy celebrations for the anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai.
The 26 year old, of the Royal Tank Regiment, had been out celebrating the historic victory which saw the first use of mass tank formations break the deadlock of trench warfare in France in November 1917 by breaching the Hindenburg line.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that as a result of her ordeal she suffered ‘sleep paralysis’ episodes at night during which she woke thinking Cpl Larty was attacking her again.
After a trial Cpl Larty was found guilty of sexual assault.
Corporal James Larty (in mask) outside Bulford Military Court
Now, at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, he has been dismissed from the Army and ordered to pay his victim £1,200 in compensation.
Outlining the case to Cpl Larty, Assistant Judge Advocate General Jane England said: ‘In November 2022, your unit was involved in Cambrai celebrations where unit personnel were out drinking.
‘The complainant was drinking lightly and following an altercation she decided to go back to her room and you went with her.
‘She accepted your presence and you shared a shot of sambuca.
‘At some point you got into her bed uninvited in just your boxer shorts and wanted her to join you.’
The court heard Cpl Larty was ‘persistent’ in his efforts to get the female soldier to join him, ignored her requests for him to leave and carried on drinking.
‘She was on the phone to her friend as she didn’t know how to get you out but you weren’t to be deterred,’ the judge said.
The court heard ‘very drunk’ Cpl Larty pulled the young woman onto the bed before ‘pinning’ her by her wrists and kissing her neck, ‘nibbling’ her ear and saying he ‘wanted her’ as he rubbed his groin against her.
When she was able to grab her phone, Cpl Larty left but returned, told her she ‘better not say anything about it’ and denied anything sexual had happened.
View of Bulford Military Court, where Cpl Larty was found guilty of sexual assault
In a victim personal statement read to the court, the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had felt ‘unsafe’ and ‘scared’ in her own room during the incident.
‘After he left the room I broke down,’ she said.
‘When I tried to explain it to my sisters I started crying again.’
On the long-term impact the assault has had on her, she said: ‘I would go to sleep but wake every hour or half hour.
‘I would get sleep paralysis of Cpl Larty’s body.
‘He would be at the end of the bed and start to get on top of me and then choke me out.
‘This went on for for around two weeks.’
In mitigation, Ellie Fargin told the court that as the assault happened via ‘pinning’ the woman, it was at the ‘lower end’ of a scale of force used as his victim suffered no physical injuries.
Addressing Cpl Larty, Judge England said it was a ‘serious sexual assault’.
‘It was in her room and you refused to leave despite her making it clear she wanted you to go,’ she said.
‘You used some force by pinning her down so she couldn’t escape.
‘You went back to her room denying you had done anything wrong.
‘The MoD (Ministry of Defence) has zero tolerance to sexual offences and such behaviour shows a complete lack of respect towards colleagues.’
Sentencing him, she said: ‘You sexually assaulted a fellow soldier in her room and we have no doubt it is serious enough to warrant dismissal and is appropriate in your case.’
Cpl Larty was handed a nine months sentence suspended for 24 months.
He was ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation days as well as 270 hours of unpaid work within a year.
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