David Lammy, the UK's deputy prime minister and justice secretary, has raised the case of Sarah Steele with the US government, calling it “extremely concerning.” Steele, an academic, was strangled by US fighter pilot Captain Jacob Wulfson at his home in Cambridge. Despite the crime occurring on English soil while Wulfson was off duty, he was tried by a US court martial on an airbase, avoiding English law.
Lammy's Parliamentary Statement
Lammy told parliament that officials across the British government are examining the case, as it involves multiple departments. He said, “Halving violence against women and girls is a decade-long mission for this government. That case is extremely concerning, and our thoughts, of course, are with the victim, Sarah. Given the cross-agency nature of this case, my officials are working across government and we’re raising it with the US government to establish the full facts.”
Details of the Assault and Trial
In April, Wulfson was convicted of strangling an intimate partner but acquitted of sexual assault. An all-male panel of US air force officers, serving as the jury, sentenced him to six months in a corrections facility at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. He was also dismissed from the air force. Steele described her experience with the US military justice system as “distressing and degrading.”
Jurisdictional Concerns
Steele’s case highlights an obscure agreement that gives UK police primary responsibility for investigating crimes off base when US personnel are off duty. However, the US often seeks to maximize its jurisdiction, and UK forces frequently permit US military investigation and prosecution. Steele said many people in the UK are unaware of “little pockets of American jurisdiction” on British soil, where victims can be caught in a foreign and outdated justice system.
Political Reactions
Jess Brown-Fuller, the Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson, argued in parliament that “victims of crimes on English soil should see justice served in our justice system.” Conservative MP Nick Timothy, who represents West Suffolk where RAF Lakenheath is based, wrote to Lammy demanding answers, stating, “This case should have been fully investigated by the English police and prosecuted in our courts.”
Broader Implications
More than 12,000 US military personnel are stationed at at least 15 bases and facilities in the UK. The case has prompted Downing Street to pledge to look “really carefully” at what happened, with the prime minister’s spokesperson calling it “deeply distressing.” Lammy’s intervention underscores the cross-government effort to address the jurisdictional issues raised by Steele’s ordeal.
