US control of case of pilot who strangled woman in UK ‘concerning’, says No 10

Downing Street expresses disquiet that Sarah Steele’s case, which was heard at airbase court martial, did not reach CPS Downing Street has said it is “very concerning” that British authorities were not involved in the prosecution of an American fighter pilot who strangled a woman in Cambridge. Responding to an investigation by the Guardian, a spokesperson for the prime minister said the case of Sarah Steele, an academic who was assaulted by the pilot in his apartment, was “deeply distressing”. The pilot, Jacob Wulfson, 32, was convicted of strangling Steele but acquitted of other charges during a court martial at RAF Lakenheath, a US airbase in west Suffolk. Cambridgeshire police have acknowledged that they ceded jurisdiction, allowing the US military to take control of the case. Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said: “This is clearly a deeply distressing case, our thoughts are with the victim. She’s shown incredible bravery not only in her initial report to police but also in coming forward to speak to the media to help get justice for others.” He said the government was “going to look really carefully at what’s happened here, and we must stress that we’re still