A female Royal Navy chef who pushed a male colleague’s head into her chest during boozy New Year’s Eve celebrations onboard a warship has avoided jail.
“Crass and offensive” Leading Rate Natasha Crawley also left another man with “‘panic in his eyes” as she “straddled” and tried to kiss him, a court martial heard.
The 30-year-old – who had previously been disciplined for having sex onboard a ship – walked into the celebrations with a bottle of red wine and with her lips already stained red.
After admitting three counts of misconduct, she was reprimanded by a judge who said her behaviour was “demeaning and intrusive”.
However, in an “exceptional” ruling, he spared LR Crawley – who is now seven months pregnant and cried after the hearing – from jail, suspending her 16-week sentence for 18 months.
Bulford Military Court heard that the incident took place in the early hours of January 1 this year on HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 frigate which was deployed to the Red Sea on a mission to hunt down drug smugglers and arms traffickers.
Just a week earlier, on Christmas Day, the warship had come under missile attack, the court heard.
Prosecutor Rupert Gregory said: “This case involved the defendant getting very drunk on board HMS Lancaster while it was at sea.”
Others joined a mess party after the countdown for the new year had taken place.
Mr Gregory continued: “She sang on karaoke while drinking red wine she brought in with her. At 2am, [the victim] was watching a Royal Marine singing when this defendant stumbled into her. He said her eyes looked dead and she put her arms against his shoulders.”
The court heard from a witness she told him: “I’m open, ‘I’m open right now and you know exactly what that means.”
She then “grabbed [him] with both hands and pulled him into her, his head into her chest.” The court heard it had taken “some force” to separate the pair.
Mr Gregory said the second victim was left with “panic in his eyes” from her actions.
“He saw the defendant arrive looking tipsy at 1am,” he said. “At 2am, the defendant was spaced out and came and straddled his lap, facing him.
“She slid down and was staying on his lap. He pushed her away as two others dragged her away by her shoulders.”
Describing LR Crawley, a teetotal sailor said: “She was extremely drunk as to be incoherent, unaware of her surroundings or what was happening.”
The court heard as a result of her not being able to “talk or walk” it took 90 minutes to get her to bed.
The final charge consisted of making a nuisance of herself during this process as she was “screaming and shouting”‘ on her way to her cabin, where she was finally put to bed at 4am.
LR Crawley was reported and interviewed by Royal Navy police where she admitted the offence.
The court heard she had two previous offences of contravention of standing orders – by having sex onboard a ship in 2015.
Fiona Edington, representing the sailor said “copious amounts of alcohol” had been drunk in the New Year celebrations.
“She had drunk too much and she apologises for that,” she said. “She was unruly and it took her shipmates some time to get her to bed and that should not have happened.”
She told the court LR Crawley was working 18 hours a day providing three meals for the sailors aboard the ship which had been attacked by missiles on Christmas day.
“She has done exemplary service,” she added. “Perhaps her private behaviour has not been the best. Sadly, she let herself down on December 31 by coming into that mess drunk, something which she regrets deeply.”
Addressing her, Assistant Judge Advocate John Atwill said: “Your behaviour did have an impact on [the first victim] who was entitled to be safe from behaviour of that sort.
“Even though, luckily for you, he found it embarrassing rather than anything more.”
LR Crawley has avoided a reduction in rank but was warned to “reflect such behaviour is utterly unacceptable.”
Source Agencies
