RAF officers ‘need to stop’ exposing themselves to female colleagues as it ‘isn’t funny’, Britain’s only female military judge has warned.
Assistant Judge Advocate General Jane England described the ‘arrogant’ behaviour as ‘incredibly juvenile and immature’ and called for it to end.
She was speaking as she dismissed an RAF officer from the military for flashing two female bar staff members whilst they were working at a military party.
Flight Lieutenant Richard Aldridge was found guilty at a court martial of putting his testicles on a bar during a boozy summer ball.
The judge also told Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire that sadly Flt Lt Aldridge’s case was not unique.
Flight Lieutenant Richard Aldridge was found guilty at a court martial of putting his testicles on a bar during a boozy summer ball
The Flight Lieutenant denied the charge, claiming he is ‘not flexible enough’ to have performed the manoeuvre, and said his uniform was also too tight
During Flt Lt Aldridge’s sentencing, the judge said: ‘This is not the first case involving a male Royal Air Force officer at the mess. It is certainly not the first court martial for a Royal Air Force officer exposing [themselves].
‘It needs to stop. It isn’t funny behaviour. It is incredibly juvenile and immature behaviour.’
At his trial, the court heard the incident happened during a officers’ mess event Flt Lt Aldridge helped organise which had more than 200 people in attendance and was held at MoD Boscombe Down, near Amesbury, Wiltshire.
The 39-year-old exposed himself immediately after overhearing two women complain that servicemen had previously flashed at them, including one officer who was ‘doing the helicopter with his penis’.
The officer got one leg up on the bar and was ‘holding the underneath of himself’, one of the women told the court.
Bulford Military Court, Wilts, heard the officers’ mess event was held at MoD Boscombe Down, near Amesbury, Wiltshire.
Captain Rebecca Slee, prosecuting, told the court martial the function had kicked off and was in full swing when Flt Lt Aldridge arrived at the bar.
The court heard the officers’ mess event, where the incident took place, was held at MoD Boscombe Down (pictured), near Amesbury, in Wiltshire
She said: ‘[Two women] were working behind the bar. They had talked about previous incidents of exposure, and said they hoped nothing like that would happen tonight.
‘Flt Lt Aldridge was at the bar and overheard the conversation. He then exposed his testicles and put them on the bar.’
Giving evidence, one of the women – a civilian worker – told the court her recollection of the evening: ‘There was a conversation between me and a colleague about previous functions and what people get up to.
‘[Flt Lt Aldridge] put his testicles in his hand and at the top of the bar. I said “that’s inappropriate, put them away”. He was laughing.’
Her colleague said: ‘We were having a conversation and Flt Lt Aldridge came to the bar. At a previous function, an officer had done something – two weeks before, an officer was up on the table doing the helicopter with his penis.’
Referring to Flt Lt Aldridge, she added: ‘I saw him up on the bar holding the underneath of himself. His genitals were out of his clothes.
‘He had one leg up on the floor and one up. He then got down and went off.
‘[Later on] he was very drunk and an officer took him to his room carrying him over his shoulder.’
Flt Lt Aldridge denied the charge, claiming he is ‘not flexible enough’ to have performed the manoeuvre, and said his uniform was also too tight.
But after a three day trial, Flt Lt Aldridge was found guilty of a charge of exposure. He was cleared of another charge of groping a woman at the bar.
At the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Major James Eveleigh said the services have a ‘zero tolerance approach to sexual offences and inappropriate behaviour’.
He said service personnel have to live in close confines and share facilities therefore sexual offences ‘undermine the bond of trust for those serve together’.
Sentencing the officer – who the court heard had served in Iraq and Syria – Judge England said the two female civilians working at the bar ‘should not have to endure such behaviour at the work place’.
She added: ‘It is arrogant behaviour because it is forcing someone else to see something they do not want to see.’
She said a higher standard of behaviour is expected of an RAF officer and the incident was serious enough to warrant him being kicked out of the military.
She added that the services are working hard to stop sexual offences from happening.
In addition to being dismissed, Flt Lt Aldridge was ordered to carry out a ten-month community order.
In December last year a Royal Navy Petty Officer who repeatedly flashed junior female colleagues while on board a warship was thrown out of the military.
A court martial at Bulford heard that electronic warfare specialist Daniel Ball ‘targeted’ the two women on Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose, exposing himself more than 10 times over a three month period.