Soldier said she’d ‘make woman gay’ before sexual assault, court martial hears

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A female soldier sexually assaulted a female colleague after telling her she would “make her gay”, heard a court martial.

The straight woman says she was “sexually targeted” by Lance Corporal Hannah Heslop, 25.

The victim says on a night out, she was told by the Lance Corporal that she would “make her gay”, reports the Telegraph.

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She says that Heslop waited until she fell asleep before removing her underwear to “fulfil her objective”, it was claimed.

The woman says she awoke in pain, and found “the accused between her legs”.

According to the woman, the Lance Corporal later bragged about the incident, saying it had been consensual.

The Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard that the victim was “shocked and confused” following the incident at the Leconfield Barracks in Yorkshire.

Unnamed during the proceedings, the woman told the court martial that it had taken place after a night out with a number of other soldiers.

She told the court martial: “I went out with them just to make new friends. It was just to go and socialise. [Heslop] was asking about when I go out and get drunk and whether I get very drunk that I cannot remember what I am doing.”

The woman says she had no recollection of going back to the Lance Corporal’s room after the night out.

She said, according to the prosecutor: “I remember waking up to a pain. I was asleep, passed out asleep. I was in a deep sleep.

“I had my vest and jacket still on. I did not have the bottom half of my clothes on. It took a second to figure out what was going on. I do not know if I shouted or kicked, but it made Heslop jump back.

“I lay in shock. I did not know what was happening, I didn’t know what was going on. Heslop was on the end of the bed. I think she said ‘I have got to go’ and then left. I didn’t say anything back to her.”

The prosecutor, Lietenant Colonel David Phillips, said “The victim was a heterosexual female soldier, we assert the accused is attracted to female soldiers. During the afternoon and evening, the accused began to sexually target the victim.

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“She began saying she would make her gay – her response was to laugh off her comments. The evening involved drinking games and soldiers drinking shots of various alcoholic drinks.”

He went on to say that the victim became drunk and needed to be taken back to the barracks, which the Lance Corporal volunteered to do.

“There the accused used this opportunity to fulfil her objective of ‘scoring’. She removed the victim’s lower garments, including her knickers. She did not remove any of her own,” he continued.

He said when the victim awoke, she was in pain, and that she was “naked from the legs down”.

Then, he said she “flinched and sat up, the accused stopped and left the room.”

The Lance Corporal denies assault by penetration.

The court martial continues.

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