A British Military intelligence corporal has been cleared of sexually assaulting a feminine colleague by slapping her backside as she bent over after claiming it was simply ‘banter’.
Corporal Wayne Parker, who was ‘fairly inebriated’ when he smacked her bottom as she bent over a pool desk at a St Patrick’s day celebration, advised a court docket martial he had merely executed it in a ‘jokey’ method.
The 39-year-old defined his actions as a ‘second of drunken madness’ – reasoning it ‘wasn’t particularly meant for her’, it wasn’t sexual and ‘anybody’ may have been on the receiving finish.
After a four-day trial at Bulford Navy Courtroom in Wiltshire, board members took only one hour to search out Cpl Parker, a Royal Logistics Corps soldier hooked up to British Navy Intelligence, not responsible of sexual assault.
Corporal Wayne Parker, 39, pictured exterior Bulford Navy Courtroom Centre in Wiltshire, has been cleared of sexual assault after slapping a feminine colleague’s backside
The court docket had beforehand heard how a ‘handsy’ Cpl Parker made the lady really feel ‘uncomfortable’ all through the night, having to be ‘shepherded’ away from him by buddies.
As the feminine soldier was leaning over the pool desk to attempt to ‘delay her pal,’ who was taking his shot, she felt a ‘forceful slap’ to her backside which ‘stung’, Bulford Navy Courtroom, Wilts, heard.
The trial heard Cpl Parker mentioned ‘cease being naughty’ as he slapped the youthful soldier, however he disputed this.
Defending, Kellie Enever, mentioned the slap was not sexual and mentioned when interviewed by service police, Cpl Parker admitted the slap immediately – however denied any sexual motive.
‘He did not deny it or dance round it. He accepted he assaulted her, he did not settle for sexually assaulting her,’ she mentioned.
Parker denied his actions have been sexual and insisted it was drunken ‘banter’ on the St Patrick’s Day occasion
‘Slapping somebody on the underside just isn’t sexual, per se. In the end, slapping somebody on the underside varieties an assault, it doesn’t make it sexual assault.
‘It’s proper he slapped her on the underside, everybody agrees. Did it matter it was [the complainant]? It may have been anybody.’
Giving proof Cpl Parker, who was ‘fairly inebriated’, had justified his actions as having been ‘jokey’ and executed in a ‘non-sexual’ method.
Cpl Parker had been new to the mess at Tidworth Barracks, Wilts.
The court docket heard he had been consuming since 5.00pm on St Patrick’s Day earlier than the occasion in a transformed convention room and will ‘barely stroll.’
Later that night, the feminine soldier was taking part in pool with two buddies.
The lady advised the court docket: ‘I used to be taking part in pool with two others.
‘He was lining up a shot [and] I used to be leaning over with my head in my fingers attempting to place him off as a joke.
‘I felt a forceful slap on my proper cheek – it was flat palmed and it stung afterwards.’
Cpl Parker was cleared of the only cost of sexual assault.
