I’ve fought for victims’ rights for decades. Sarah Steele’s story has stunned me
A US military court denied her so many of the rights we have secured in the UK. I will do all I can to stop this happening again
TL;DR
- UK courts have established rights for victims of domestic, sexual, and physical violence over decades of campaigning.
- These rights include separate entrances, video evidence options, and protections regarding past sexual or medical history.
- British women abused by US military personnel stationed in the UK do not receive these same protections.
- The case of Sarah Steele and Capt Jacob Wulfson illustrates a US military court acquitting an individual of a crime that doesn't exist in the UK and sentencing him for another, with an automatic appeal.
- Steele was in the courtroom with her accuser throughout the trial, and the jurors were members of the same military base as the accused.
- The author expresses deep regret and vows to fight against the practice of handing over UK victims to the US military for crimes committed on UK soil.