A number of women have alleged sexual abuse by visiting US service personnel stationed at RAF Lakenheath. In all cases, jurisdiction for the investigation and prosecution of these cases appears to have been ceded by the local civilian police at a very early stage to the US military authorities with serious negative consequences for the women involved. Some of these cases have been reported by The Guardian in recent weeks.
We have proposed an amendment to the Armed Forces Bill 2026 which is presently passing through Parliament, that would make it much harder for such cases to escape UK jurisdiction. Our briefing can be accessed here:
Briefing on visiting US forces & sexual offences – Armed Forces Bill 2026
Thank you to Katherine Hardcastle and Charles Redman at Fountain Court Chambers for their advice and assistance with the proposed amendment.