US Airman's Combat Kill Count Cited in Court Martial, Victim Says

Dr Sarah Steele, assaulted by US airman Capt Jacob Wulfson, reveals his combat kill count was cited in his court martial mitigation. Wulfson was convicted of assault but acquitted of sexual charges. Steele describes a difficult court experience and calls for informed decisions for victims.

US Airman's Kill Count Referenced in Court Martial, Victim Reports

Dr Sarah Steele, a university academic assaulted by a US airman, revealed that his "kill count" from combat was used as a mitigating factor during his court martial hearing. Capt Jacob Wulfson was acquitted of sexual assault and "aggravated sexual contact" but was convicted of assault.

Steele described experiencing "a character assassination" during her cross-examination at the proceedings held at RAF Lakenheath in April. Wulfson, who was stationed at the Suffolk airfield, was convicted by the US Air Force (USAF) of strangulation. He was subsequently dismissed from the military and sentenced to six months' detention. The USAF stated it "holds all personnel to the highest standards of conduct."

"They were raising in his mitigation how many people he'd killed, supposedly to get him a lower sentence for committing a serious violent crime against me,"

said Steele, who is affiliated with the University of Cambridge.

Steele met Wulfson through a dating app, and as initially reported by , they arranged to meet for the first time in December 2023 at his flat in Cambridge. Wulfson was an F-35 pilot from the 495th Fighter Squadron.

Steele recounted leaving the meeting the following day with a feeling that something inappropriate had occurred.

Steele waived her right to anonymity when speaking to the media, including the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

Wulfson was an F-35 pilot from the 495th Fighter Squadron, based at RAF Lakenheath.

The silhouette of an F-35 plane preparing to take off at sunset. The photo is taken head on. — Image caption, Wulfson was an F-35 pilot from the 495th Fighter Squadron, based at RAF Lakenheath

USAF police arrested Wulfson, and Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that Steele wished for the USAF to continue the investigation. A spokesperson for the police stated, "The constabulary's approach was therefore guided by a victim-led consideration."

A USAF spokesman explained that jurisdiction was negotiated with local police and that the court martial proceedings were governed by the NATO Status of Forces Agreement 1951.

However, Steele expressed feeling "railroaded" by the USAF and stated that the decision to transfer jurisdiction was made without her "informed consent."

"One thing that was very unknown to me was what the American court martial system entailed. What I want is for women in the future to be able to make informed decisions about what's best for them in these experiences of trauma."

Experience During Court Martial

Steele described the court martial, which was conducted before a panel of exclusively male military officers, as a harrowing experience.

"People are attacking you with assertions that are trying to undermine [you], say that you're lying, say that you're a problem, say that you're all manner of evil things and that you're creating this,"

she told the BBC.

"You've got to wade through that staring in the face of the accused."

The court martial docket indicates that the offense for which Wulfson was convicted falls under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, specifically "aggravated assault on family member or partner."

He was acquitted of additional charges, including sexual assault and "aggravated sexual contact."

Steele stated that military judge Col Brian Michael Thompson was asked to consider Wulfson's "kill count" during sentencing.

Justice Minister Jake Richards described the case as "really serious" and acknowledged that there are "issues" concerning the military courts system. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme,