Bizarre questions and an all-male ‘jury’: woman strangled by US pilot in Britain tells of airbase trial

Sarah Steele waives anonymity to call for greater scrutiny of how US military courts are allowed to ‘rip apart’ vulnerable witnesses in the UK Why did a US fighter pilot avoid British trial after strangling a woman in England? Explainer: how the US bypasses British courts A woman strangled by an American fighter pilot at his home in an English city has come forward to criticise the handling of his prosecution via a US court martial, a process she described as “military first, justice second”. Sarah Steele, a British academic, has come forward to speak about the “distressing and degrading” experience she had with the US military justice system after she was assaulted by the airman in Cambridge. Although Jacob Wulfson assaulted Steele on UK soil in late 2023, after the pair met on a dating app, American military police quickly took over the case and the pilot was tried by US air force prosecutors. UK law enforcement have primary jurisdiction over crimes that occur outside of US bases while military personnel are off duty. However, Steele’s case has put a spotlight on how UK authorities cede authority to the US military. In her interview with the Guardian, Steele also sh