RAF officer, 32, is sacked after he was caught drunkenly carrying a loaded pistol at British Embassy party to celebrate the King’s 75th birthday
An RAF officer has been sacked after he was caught drunkenly carrying a loaded pistol at a British embassy party to celebrate the King’s 75th birthday.
Flight Lieutenant Gregory Gomez, 32, had been drinking gin and tonics from a pint glass at the event – the location of which was not disclosed in court – when security guards stopped him trying to leave at the end of the night in his car.
Service personnel were called after staff noticed his ‘eyes were glassy’ and the RAF officer was found to be carrying the loaded pistol.
Sentencing the officer, a judge advocate warned him that even a junior serviceman who know the dangers of mixing alcohol with ‘lethal’ weapons and said his actions posed a ‘serious risk’ to those around him.
The flight lieutenant was dismissed from the air force and handed a suspended sentence as well as a nine month disqualification from driving.
Flight Lieutenant Gregory Gomez, 32, had been drinking gin and tonics from a pint glass when security guards stopped him trying to leave at the end of the night in his car
The court heard there had been a celebration at the British Embassy for the birthday of King Charles (pictured)
Prosecuting, Commander Matthew Rees, told Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, that the incident took place on July 5 of this year.
Cdr Rees said: ‘At that time, Flight Lieutenant Gomez was deployed on operations of service. He was his unit’s operation officer.
‘There had been a celebration at the British Embassy for the King’s birthday.’
At around 11pm, Flt Lt Gomez tried to leave the embassy in his car – the location of which was not disclosed for legal reasons – when he was stopped by ‘civilian security staff’.
According to Cdr Rees, the RAF officer’s ‘eyes were glassy’ and he appeared to be drunk.
The prosecutor continued: ‘Then, the staff asked him if he was in possession of a firearm – he said he wasn’t.
‘Flight Lieutenant Gomez parked his vehicle and waited at the main gate for the OC (commanding officer) to arrive.’
Cdr Rees said when the flight lieutenant’s OC arrived, he noticed he was ‘slurring’ his words and smelt of alcohol.
He added: ‘The OC took his bag off of him and found his pistol was loaded but not made ready.
‘The following day, the defendant was returned to the UK.’
The commanding officer drove the flight lieutenant back to his accommodation and the court heard he was ‘unable to walk in a straight line’.
Flt Lt Gomez – who served at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire – was interviewed after the event and he told his superiors that he had ‘drank three bottles of beer and some G&Ts’.
Cdr Rees added: ‘He had been drinking the G&Ts from a pint glass. He apologised for his behaviour.
‘There is a risk of harm in this action because he had been in control of a vehicle, and a firearm whilst under the influence of alcohol.’
He also said another aggravating feature of this incident was that Flt Lt Gomez was wearing a uniform and was therefore ‘easily recognisable’ to the public as service personnel.
He added: ‘The combination of the offences is serious enough to warrant dismissal.’
Service personnel were called after staff noticed his ‘eyes were glassy’ and the RAF officer was found to be carrying the loaded pistol
Representing the RAF officer, Fiona Edington said Flt Lt Gomez was ‘sorry’ for his actions and has since been ‘determined to right the wrong’.
Mitigating, Ms Edington said: ‘This was an operation whereby the unit allowed alcohol to be drunk so in my submission is not the most serious of offence.
‘I do urge some compassion in this case. We have a relatively young man who has accepted right from the very beginning that he was wrong to do what he did.
‘He is very sorry, he has learnt his lesson and in my submission you can sentence proportionally and justly so that he and others know this kind of behaviour is not tolerated.
‘This is a 32 year old young man who has a lot to offer this service.’
She urged the court to consider Flt Lt Gomez’s nine years of service in the RAF, and asked the judge to avoid a custodial sentence because the prison system is ‘extremely full’ at the moment.
Sentencing the RAF officer, Judge Advocate Darren Reed said: ‘Over the course of the evening, you drunk more than you should have.
‘You knew that you were intoxicated and despite that, decided to drive and did so whilst having a lethal weapon in your possession.
‘The possession of a firearm is a grave responsibility that requires a strict adherence to orders made.
‘Even the most junior and inexperienced service personnel knows that alcohol does not mix with the handling of lethal weapons.
‘As a result of your actions, you created a serious risk to others by driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and handling a dangerous weapon.’
After pleading guilty to two charges of contravening standard orders, Flt Lt Gomez was dismissed from the RAF after nine years of service.
He was also handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and has been disqualified from driving for nine months.
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