Criticism has been mounting against Cambridgeshire Police over their handling of a high-profile assault case involving an American fighter pilot. In 2023, the force ceded investigative primacy to US authorities, allowing the military to take charge of investigating Captain Jacob Wulfson's alleged strangulation of Sarah Steele in Cambridge city centre.
Sarah Steele, 42, has disputed claims that she did not want to be contacted by local police about the case. She insists this information was false and that she was not consulted before the decision was made to transfer the investigation, which ultimately led to Captain Wulfson being tried in a military tribunal at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
Captain Wulfson was convicted of strangling Ms Steele during their first in-person meeting, having previously connected via a dating application. He was acquitted of charges related to sexual penetration without her consent and doing so while knowing she had been drugged – offences that would likely have been categorised as rape if tried in an English court.
The all-male panel of Captain Wulfson's fellow air force officers, who comprised the jury at his court martial, also determined his sentence of six months in a correctional facility. The experience for Ms Steele within the US military justice system has been described as 'degrading and distressing', with the unfamiliar system leaving her feeling vulnerable.
A review of the case has been promised by the UK government following an investigation by The Guardian, with the Prime Minister's spokesperson labelling the situation 'deeply distressing'. Cambridgeshire Police have confirmed that they allowed the US Air Force to take investigative primacy, stating that the decision was guided by information from the USAF indicating Ms Steele did not wish to be contacted.