Updated

Updated · The Guardian · Jun 29

Cambridgeshire Police Ceded 2023 Assault Case to US Military, Letting Pilot Avoid UK Trial

Updated

Updated · The Guardian · Jun 29

Cambridgeshire Police Ceded 2023 Assault Case to US Military, Letting Pilot Avoid UK Trial

Q: A US pilot strangled a woman in Cambridge. Why was he judged by a US military court?

He was judged by a US military court because Cambridgeshire police agreed to hand the case to the US Air Force, allowing the Americans to take “investigative primacy” and prosecute Capt Jacob Wulfson by court martial rather than through the English courts. That was possible under the legal framework for foreign troops stationed in Britain, chiefly the NATO Status of Forces Agreement of 1951 and the UK’s Visiting Forces Act 1952. In general, for an off-duty, off-base alleged crime against a British civilian, the UK would normally have the primary right to prosecute. But the agreement also allows the US to request that Britain waive that right, and UK authorities often give such requests “sympathetic consideration.” In this case, the USAF said it “negotiated jurisdiction” under NATO rules, and Cambridgeshire police accepted that arrangement in December 2023. The force later said its approach was “victim-led,” based on information from the USAF that Sarah Steele did not want contact from local police. Steele disputes that account, saying British police did not consult her at the time and she never said she did not want to speak to them. The result was that Wulfson, although accused over an incident in Cambridge while off duty, was tried at RAF Lakenheath by a US court martial panel of Air Force officers. The case has since triggered criticism because legal experts and MPs say the UK, not the US military, should ordinarily have retained jurisdiction in such circumstances.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 29

Cambridgeshire police confirmed they gave the US Air Force “investigative primacy” days after Sarah Steele reported a 1 December 2023 assault in Cambridge, even though the alleged crime happened off base and while Capt Jacob Wulfson was off duty.
The force said it acted on US-shared information that Steele did not want contact from local police, but Steele, 42, says that was false and that no British officers consulted her before the handover.
That decision sent the case to a court martial at RAF Lakenheath, where Wulfson was convicted in April 2026 of strangling Steele, acquitted on a sexual assault charge involving alleged non-consensual penetration, and sentenced by an all-male officer panel to six months.
The case has intensified scrutiny of how UK forces handle crimes involving US personnel, with the government promising to examine it and MPs from both Labour and the Conservatives demanding answers over who waived UK jurisdiction.
Steele is now urging formal recording of any jurisdiction handover and mandatory victim consultation, as local policy in nearby Norfolk and Suffolk had said police would not usually waive jurisdiction when a UK citizen was harmed.

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Did police prioritize a military pact over a British victim's right to justice in her own country?

A US pilot strangled a woman in Cambridge. Why was he judged by a US military court?

Justice on Trial: The 2026 Wulfson Case, US Military Courts, and the UK’s Urgent Jurisdictional Reforms

Overview

The US military court martial of Captain Jacob Wulfson in April 2026, for a serious violent crime, triggered significant public and political controversy in the UK. Outrage grew over the perceived leniency of his sentence and the decision to let an all-male panel of US Air Force officers, rather than the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, handle the case. Concerns intensified when reports revealed that Wulfson’s combat record was used as mitigation. This controversy led to urgent calls for a review of jurisdictional practices, highlighting the need for clearer guidance and better protection for UK victims in cases involving US military personnel.

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