Drunken father-of-four sergeant, 42, ‘put his hand up young female soldier’s very revealing dress and squeezed her bottom’ in unit’s first night out after Covid ‘as he told her: ‘You’re going to get me into trouble”
- A Staff Sergeant allegedly groped a junior female soldier’s bottom on a night out
- A court martial heard Adam Porter, 42, reportedly smirked after the incident
- The father-of-four said he may have ‘brushed her’ but denies sexual assault
A drunk staff sergeant ‘smirked’ as he put his hand up a young female soldier’s dress and squeezed her bottom for several seconds on a work night out, a court martial heard.
Staff Sergeant Adam Porter, 42, allegedly told the shocked woman ‘it feels nice doesn’t it’ as he pinched her left buttock, before he quickly backtracked and said: ‘I shouldn’t have done that should I?’
Moments earlier the father-of-four, spotted the junior soldier wearing ‘a very revealing dress’ and allegedly said ‘you’re going to get me into trouble’.
He admitted to having had a bottle of white wine, tequila shots and opening a bottle of port. He told the court he ‘could have accidentally brushed her’.
SSgt Porter, of the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, who has served in the Army for 24 years, denies a single charge of sexual assault.
Staff Sergeant Adam Porter, 42, (pictured at Bulford Court Martial) allegedly ‘smirked’ as he put his hand up a young female soldier’s dress and squeezed her bottom
Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard the incident took place at a pub as soldiers from the regiment enjoyed their first post-Covid work celebration.
Prosecutor Colonel Grant Davies said: ‘SSgt Porter touched the complainant in a sexual way without her consent.
‘She was in a knee length, floaty dress and saw SSgt Porter, who was quite likely intoxicated.
‘He said words to the effect of “you’re going to get me into trouble”.
‘She was at the bar when SSgt Porter came and stood next to her and a round of drinks were bought. Shortly after, he put his hand under her skirt onto her buttock, squeezed and said words to the effect of “feels nice doesn’t it”.
‘She was shocked – and then Porter said words to the effect of “I shouldn’t have done that should I”.’
The female soldier, who was much more junior than SSgt Porter, told the court she had work the next day so ‘didn’t want to get too drunk’ that evening.
SSgt Porter allegedly told the junior female soldier that she was going to ‘get him in trouble’
The junior female soldier said she had a normal conversation with SSgt Porter earlier in the evening and they were having shots at the bar.
At which point he was allegedly drunk and slurring his words and began pointing at females and making crass statements.
She said: ‘Then SSgt Porter said “I’m going to f*** you” [to me]. He said “you’re going to get me into trouble”. I think it was in a flirty way… that I needed to stay away from him.’
After the shots the other people went away and the woman was left alone with SSgt Porter at the bar.
She continued: ‘I was facing the bar and he put his hand up my dress. Then I felt him squeeze my bum and then he took his hand away.
‘I recall him smirking while he did it.’
She said SSgt Porter squeezed her left buttock for ‘two or three seconds’ with his right hand.
‘It was a skin on skin contact,’ she added, and SSgt Porter reportedly used his ‘full hand’ to ‘cup’ her bottom.
‘He pulled his hand away and said “it feels nice that doesn’t it”,’ she added.
‘Two seconds later he quickly went into saying “I shouldn’t have done that should I?” – because he knew it was wrong.
‘I was a bit shocked and didn’t know what to do.’
SSgt Porter said: ‘I could have accidentally brushed her – or it’s certainly feasibly that I touched her’
The court martial heard a formal complaint wasn’t raised until three months later when one of her friends told a senior officer.
When asked why she hadn’t complained sooner the female soldier said she ‘didn’t trust’ her chain of command at the time, saying they were mostly male, friends and ‘cliquey’.
A Lance Bombardier who had been in the pub that night told the court SSgt Porter was being ‘very flirtatious’ with the female soldier and whispering in her ear at the bar before groping her.
He said: ‘I was stood at the bar and she was stood to the right of me – and SSgt Porter came to the right of her.
‘I saw his hand go up her skirt and I believe she was groped.’
The court heard that when interviewed by military police, SSgt Porter claimed he simply ‘may have tapped her to remind her to buy a round’.
SSgt Porter, who has one daughter with his partner, and three from their previous relationships, told the court he ‘didn’t remember’ any contact between the two of them that evening and insisted it had not happened.
The senior soldier, who had drunk a bottle of white wine, several tequila shots and cracked open a bottle of port, admitted he was ‘well on his way’ after the shots.
He explained the pub was small and packed, saying: ‘I could have accidentally brushed her – or it’s certainly feasibly that I touched her – if that occurred it would have 100 per cent been accidental.’
When asked how his seniority could affect their dynamic, he said: ‘The three stripes and the crown can be daunting.’
Prosecuting Col Davies said: ‘Regardless of whether you were wearing your uniform touching [a junior rank] – or anyone – is utterly wrong.
‘She has no reason to lie – neither does [the eye witness].’
SSgt Porter said his relationship with the complainant before the incident had been ‘amicable’.
When asked about what she had been wearing, SSgt Porter said: ‘She was wearing a very revealing dress.’
The trial continues.
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