US Fighter Pilot Convicted in Court Martial for Strangling British Woman
Captain Jacob Wulfson, a US Air Force F-35 pilot, was found guilty of strangling British academic Sarah Steele in a court martial at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, in April 2024. The trial followed US military law, even though the alleged crime occurred while Wulfson was off duty and in Cambridge, England. Steele had met Wulfson on Tinder and went to his apartment on 1 December 2023, where she alleged he drugged and strangled her before penetrating her without consent.
The panel of eight male air force officers acquitted Wulfson of sexual assault but convicted him of strangulation and disobeying orders. He was sentenced to six months in a corrections facility, a formal reprimand, and dismissal from the air force. Steele described the process as “degrading” and said it placed her on trial. The UK authorities ceded jurisdiction to the US military, a practice that has drawn criticism.
Details of the Assault and Trial
Steele testified that Wulfson strangled her until she lost consciousness, and she woke up naked in a bathtub of cold water. She had texted him beforehand with ground rules: “No hands on my neck. Ever. Condoms please.” Wulfson replied, “Yes, that’s fair.” The prosecution alleged etizolam, a banned drug, entered her system, but Wulfson was acquitted of drug-related charges.
Wulfson’s lawyer, Tim Bilecki, attacked Steele’s credibility, suggesting she fabricated the allegations for money from a UK compensation scheme. Steele denied this, saying she applied for loss of wages. The defence claimed Steele’s injuries were self-inflicted during a panic attack. No witnesses were called for the defence, and Wulfson did not testify.
Steele waived her anonymity to speak publicly. She said the court martial felt “intrusive and archaic.” Unlike in UK courts, she testified meters from Wulfson without screens. The panel’s president was the chief of Wulfson’s squadron, and another member had been acquitted of sexual offences years earlier.
Jurisdiction Concerns
Under the NATO Status of Forces Agreement, UK authorities have primary jurisdiction over crimes committed off-duty and off-base by US personnel. However, Cambridgeshire Police agreed to let the US “take investigative primacy.” Rachel VanLandingham, a law professor and former US air force judge advocate, said: “The British authorities should be fighting to maintain jurisdiction. Why should they trust the American military justice system with anything related to sexual assault?”
Wulfson’s sentence was decided by the panel, not a judge, as jury sentencing was abolished in courts martial in 2023 but applied to his case. The maximum sentence for strangulation was 13 years; the prosecution requested five. After three hours, the panel gave six months. Steele’s victim impact statement asked for justice that would “offer a layer of protection to other women.”
Aftermath and Appeals
Wulfson is serving his sentence at RAF Lakenheath’s corrections facility, where detainees wake at 5am and work on the base. He is due for release in mid-September and will return to the US. His case will be automatically reviewed by an air force appeals court in Maryland. A US air force spokesperson said the process includes “strict procedural safeguards” and that “maintaining the trust that underpins our partnership… remains our priority.”
Steele told the Guardian the ordeal was “incredibly distressing and degrading.” She said she was grateful for the conviction but criticized the system. The only public record of Wulfson’s conviction is a docket entry on a US air force webpage listing the offense and sentence, with no mention of the location or victim’s nationality.
