Sexual Assault Charges Against Royal Navy Sailor Dropped

Prosecutors in Nova Scotia, Canada, have dropped charges against a Royal Navy sailor.

They have decided not to proceed with a sexual assault trial against the serviceman as there was no realistic prospect of conviction, according to BBC News.

Simon Radford, 35, is the fourth and final suspect in an alleged group sex attack by Royal Navy sailors in Canada to see charges against him dropped.

The latest decision by Canadian prosecutors means none of the sailors who had faced charges will face any further action in Canada.

The case dates back to 2015, when Mr Radford and three fellow Royal Navy members were accused of allegedly taking part in an assault.

The four subsequently appeared in court charged with sexual assault under the Criminal Code of Canada 272.

Prosecutor Scott Morrison said at the time that the British sailors were in Nova Scotia playing in a hockey tournament with the Canadian armed forces.

He said the Canadian military has jurisdiction over the case, but added that the British military could take over at some point.

Prosecutors had already dropped charges against two other sailors while another was acquitted after a trial.

A female civilian was invited to the Shearwater barracks, near Halifax, after meeting with a British sailor on the dating app Tinder, the trial heard in 2018.

The sexual assault was alleged to have taken place after an alcohol-fuelled party at the Canadian military's base.