Officer Found Not Guilty Of Rape In Cross-Atlantic Court Martial

A British Army officer has been found not guilty of rape in the first ever court martial to be held on both sides of the Atlantic.

On hearing the verdict the Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Tomkins looked to the ground and cried.

Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Tomkins of the Rifles had always denied the charge, saying it was consensual sex.

The president of the court-martial board, Brigadier P P Tennant, after giving the verdict said:

"Despite unanimously and overwhelming finding a sentence of not guilty we have been similarly united in our sense of corporate embarrassment by the conduct of the defendant. We as commissioned officers feel strongly that Lieutenant Colonel Tomkins behaviour even by his own account fell wholly and demonstrably short of what we would expect of an officer of his rank and experience."

The trial began in the United States at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, to allow more witnesses to testify, and continued at Bulford Military Court.

The incident took place at a United Nations event in Kampala, the capital of Uganda on the night of 7 January 2015.