British officials are criticizing Cambridgeshire Constabulary for allowing the US military to prosecute Captain Jacob Wulfson. The pilot was convicted of strangling Sarah Steele but acquitted of sexual assault in a military tribunal.
The MoD's 'unambiguous' rules on US military jurisdiction
The transfer of Captain Jacob Wulfson's case to American authorities appears to have violated a strict bilateral agreement. According to documents seen by The Guardian, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) maintains that the US military should only lead investigations if the crimmes occurred while personnel were on duty, or if the victims were military members or property. In this instance, the victim was a British civilian, and the incident took place in a private residence.
Internal communications reveal a high level of alarm within the British government. MoD officials in Washington noted on July 8 that the case did not seem to meet the necessary bar for the visiting force to claim jurisdiction. Other officials descried the decision to hand over the case as being at odds with a very clear agreement, suggesting that the matter should have remained exclusively within the British criminal justice system.
A military tribunal at RAF Lakenheath and the acquittal of Captain Wulfson
Rather than facing a public UK trial, Captain Jacob Wulfson—known by the call sign "Lone"—was tried at a military tribunal located at RAF Lakenheath. As The Guardian reported, the proceedings were overseen by an all-male panel of eight air force officers. While Wulfson was convicted of strangling Sarah Steele and disobeying orders not to contact her, he was acquitted of the charge of aggravated sexual assault.
The nature of this tribunal has drawn sharp criticism from the victim. Sarah Steele described the process as an aggressive "character assassination" that lacked the protections and support typically afforded to victims in UK courts. Because the hearing was not held in public, the transparency of the proceedings remained limited compared to standard British judicial protocols.
Why Sarah Steele's DNA evidence was inadmissible under US law
The legal discrepancy between the two nations had a direct impact on the evidence presented against Captain Jacob Wulfson. Following the December 1 incident, Sarah Steele underwent a forensic examination at a sexual assault referral centre, which produced DNA evidence and photographs of bruising. However,these critical pieces of forensic evidence were deemed inadmissible under the US law applied during the military hearing.
The case also involved allegations regarding the use of etizolam, a powerful depressant often called "street Valium" that is banned in the UK. While the prosecution argued that the drug had entered Sarah Steele's system, Captain Jacob Wulfson was ultimately cleared of that specific allegation. this highlight's the stark contrast between the evidence that would have been central to a UK prosecution and what was permitted in the RAF Lakenheath tribunal.
Justice Minister Jake Richards' inquiry into the Cambridgeshire Constabulary
In response to the controversy, Justice Minister Jake Richards has announced a thorough and objective inquiry into how the case was managed. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Richards characterized the situation as a "really serious case" and committed to ensuring the Ministry of Justice examines every detail of the jurisdictional failure.
The scale of the US presence at RAF Lakenheath—which hosts over 6,000 personnel and operates as a semi-autonomous enclave with its own currency and shopping mall—underscores the complexity of the legal boundaries. The inquiry will likely examine whether the sheer size and influence of the base contributed to the Cambridgeshire Constabulary's decision to defer to US authorities.
The missing link between Cambridgeshire police and the July 6 MoD warning
A significant point of contention remains regarding why the Cambridgeshire Constabulary ignored warnings from other law enforcement agencies. On July 6, an officer from the Greater Manchester Police emailed the MoD to expilcitly state that the investigation had been wrngly handed over to the US military. It remains unclear why the local force proceeded with the transfer despite these internal red flags.
Furthermore, the source material does not clarify who specifically within the Cambridgeshire Constabulary authorized the handover or if there was pressure from US military leadership to secure jurisdiction. The inquiry led by Jake Richards will need to determine if this was a clerical error or a systemic failure to uphold British legal sovereignty.
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