A female sailor who sexually assaulted four shipmates aboard a Royal Navy destroyer has been jailed for 18 months and dismissed from the service. Able Seaman Sian Dowsett, 25, was convicted of six counts of sexual assault following a court martial at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire.
Victims targeted to dominate and embarrass
The court heard that Dowsett, described as having "bisexual tendencies", deliberately targeted fresh recruits and shipmates she believed would not report her. Witnesses called her a "cancer on the ship." One higher-ranking female victim said: "I shared a mess with her and I couldn't talk about the incident because she would hear. I was also embarrassed - not only that I had been sexually assaulted by a woman but a woman who was of a lower rank than me and who should look up to me."
She added: "She was an extremely intimidating character. She would scream and shout at people. I had so many sleepless nights when she was aboard. She had unrestricted access to me and I honestly believed she would physically attack me. I thought if she knew I reported it her anger would have been uncontrollable."
Male victim describes assault in sick bay
A male crew member testified that he was left "anxious" after Dowsett assaulted him in the warship's sick bay, followed by another incident in the hangar. He said: "I felt guilty that I let it happen but I didn't tell her to get off. I was assaulted again in the hangar. She did this to me in front of two males I work with which made me feel embarrassed. I stood there in disbelief."
Defending Dowsett, lawyer Michael Green cited a recent autism diagnosis, arguing it could lead to "social exploitation, interpersonal misunderstanding and difficulty navigating social and institutional environments." However, assistant judge John Atwill rejected this, ruling that these were "acts that any person would know are unacceptable."
Judge condemns 'predator' behaviour
Sentencing Dowsett, Judge Atwill said: "Service personnel have little choice over who they work and live with. The confines of work in ships brings them into close proximity with work colleagues. The use of that proximity to abuse and dominate others violates their autonomy and drives division into the teams in which they work. Your behaviour towards them was disgraceful. You upset, frightened and disconcerted them and you had no regard for the impact of your behaviour. You were a predator in that ship, and seemed to target newer members."
He added that Dowsett "used sexualised behaviour to dominate or embarrass" her crewmates, concluding: "Sexual offences undermine the essential trust at the heart of our service. It undermines team cohesion and effectiveness. There is no place for behaviour of this sort in His Majesty's service." The court heard that many victims hesitated to come forward initially due to embarrassment that a junior female sailor was committing the acts, but once they realised others were targeted, they reported her together.
