Household Cavalry soldier, 24, is found guilty of sexual assault after he climbed uninvited into bed with a naked female colleague
- A court heard a victim awoke to Trooper Louis Anderson sitting on her bed
- The 24-year-old got into bed and began grinding himself against the woman
- He was found guilty of sexual assault after a four day trial at Tidworth Barracks
A Household Cavalry soldier has been found guilty of sexual assault after he climbed uninvited into bed with a naked female colleague and began stroking her back.
When the female soldier woke and realised what was happening she started crying and told Trooper Louis Anderson to leave.
She left to go to the toilet but was surprised when the 24-year-old followed her there and stuck his fingers to the back of her throat, the court was told.
She returned to bed where Trp Anderson then started grinding against her as she lay ‘frozen’ with fear, only managing to escape when a friend entered the room.
Now, Trp Anderson has been convicted following a four day trial at Tidworth Barracks, Wiltshire.
Trooper Louis Anderson, 24, (pictured outside court) was found guilty of sexually assaulting a female soldier in her bed after a night out
A military court, held at Tidworth Barracks, Wiltshire, heard Trp Anderson was sitting on the woman’s bed and stroking her back when she woke up
The military court heard that both soldiers were part of the 360-year-old Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which is known for its iconic tunics and plumed helmets and being at the heart of the Queen’s birthday parade, royal weddings and state occasions.
The regiment only began accepting women in 2018.
The court heard that the female soldier went back to her barracks in a taxi with friends after a night out.
She later woke to find Trp Anderson – who did not have permission to be in her barracks – sitting on the edge of her bed stroking her naked back, the court heard.
In footage from a police interview shown to the court, the woman said: ‘Someone was stroking my bare back. I saw it was Anderson.
‘He said I invited him there but I didn’t.
‘I started crying. I told him to leave and that I felt sick.’
She said she left her room and went to the bathroom but was surprised when Trp Anderson came in behind her.
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (pictured in Hyde Park) only began accepting women in 2018
The female soldier said: ‘I was over the toilet and he put his fingers in my mouth multiple times.
‘He used three fingers and shoved them right to the back of my throat.
‘He did that a few times. I told him to stop and said I wasn’t interested.
‘He tried to make me sit on his lap.’
The court heard that after she had finished being sick, the female soldier returned to her bed alone.
‘A few minutes later I heard him come back in and he was in my bed with me.
‘He was stroking my face and then he was thrusting himself into my arse.
‘It was repetitive thrusting, three or four times maybe, then he stopped and started stroking my face again.
Trp Anderson thrust himself against the victim while only wearing boxers ,the military court at Tidworth Barracks heard
‘I was totally frozen. He was only wearing boxers at this time,’ she added.
When one of her female friends came into the room shortly after, she ‘raised her hand for help,’ the court was told.
The friend then ‘pulled her away’ by the hand and she spent the rest of the night in a spare room, the court heard.
Trp Anderson did not leave the female soldier’s bed until the following morning, the court heard.
The next day the female soldier told her boyfriend what had happened and then decided to report the incident to her commander, the court was told.
Trp Anderson was later quizzed by military police and charged.
The soldier – who denied the charges – was cleared of one other count of sexual assault. He had been accused of touching the woman’s leg in a bar after telling her she had a ‘great arse’.
He will be sentenced at a later date.
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