Cambridgeshire police are facing mounting questions after allowing the US military to prosecute a woman's strangulation case, despite the crime occurring in Cambridge city centre while the perpetrator was off duty. The force acknowledged it ceded "investigative primacy" to the US Air Force (USAF) days after the assault in December 2023.
Victim Disputes Police Claims
The police stated that US military investigators indicated the victim, Sarah Steele, did not wish to be contacted by local police. However, Steele, 42, insisted this was false. "I absolutely did not tell anyone then that I didn't wish to speak to the British police," she said. The decision paved the way for Capt Jacob Wulfson, an F-35 pilot, to be tried in a military tribunal at RAF Lakenheath instead of a UK court.
Court-Martial Outcome
Wulfson was convicted in April 2026 of strangling Steele on their first in-person meeting after connecting on a dating app. He was acquitted of sexual penetration without consent, which would likely be categorized as rape in an English court. The all-male jury of fellow air force officers sentenced him to six months in a correctional facility and dismissed him from the service.
Police Decision Under Scrutiny
A USAF spokesperson said it "negotiated jurisdiction" with Cambridgeshire police, who agreed to let the USAF take the lead. The force confirmed it was "agreed" that the USAF "would take investigative primacy, with support provided by Cambridgeshire constabulary as required." However, Steele disputed that the approach was victim-led, noting she was not consulted before the handover.
Broader Implications
The case has prompted UK government concern, with the prime minister's spokesperson calling it "deeply distressing." Labour MP Jess Phillips pledged to change the system, stating, "No UK victim should be handed over to the US military for a crime committed on UK soil unless that is exactly what they want to happen." Nick Timothy, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, wrote to the justice secretary demanding answers, saying the case "should have been fully investigated by the English police and prosecuted in our courts."
Steele is calling for greater scrutiny of how UK police handle cases involving US military personnel, including formal recording of decisions to hand over cases and seeking victim views beforehand. Cambridgeshire police's actions appear to contradict a 2023 policy by nearby Norfolk and Suffolk police, which stated they would "not usually waive jurisdiction" when damage is caused to a UK citizen.
