Royal Navy sailor ‘raped colleague on Tinder date’ at Faslane nuclear submarine base, court martial hears
A ROYAL Navy sailor raped a colleague on a Tinder date at Faslane nuclear submarine base, a military court has heard.
The woman claimed ex-Able Seaman Joshua Powell, 21, slapped and spat on her when she told him she wanted to stop having sex.
The female sailor told a court martial that at first she thought it was just a “bad one night stand” after the couple – both based at the home of the UK’s nuclear deterrent at HMNB Clyde, Faslane, Argyll and Bute – met on the dating app.
But prosecutors allege the electronic technician ignored her pleas after they went to his room.
The court heard he messaged her “no goodbye then?” when she left following her “worst experience ever”.
Powell is also accused of “giggling” as he grabbed her crotch from behind and breast a few weeks later at a boozy party.
He denies one count of rape and two sex assaults.
Opening the case at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, prosecutor William Peters said: “The complainant met AB Powell on a dating website.
“On their first meeting they went to [AB Powell]’s room at HMNB Clyde where they were both based.
“There was some sexual activity between them including intercourse before she made her absence of consent plain to Mr Powell by telling him to stop.
“Rather than stopping, he slapped her in the face, spat on her in the face and continued until he finished – in other words he raped her.”
The court heard no formal complaint was made at the time by the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Detailing the events, Mr Peters told the court the pair had matched on Tinder and “flirted” via messages as he invited her to his cabin to “chill out”.
She tried to make “general chit chat”, but he “made plain” there would be “limited preliminaries”, it was heard.
Mr Peters added: “He pushed her onto the bed and started undressing them both. He was aggressive in his manner.”
The court heard that the woman “struggled” with what had happened, before she reported it.
In police interviews, Powell – who left the Navy in June 2023 – described the intercourse as “consensual sex which she had not enjoyed” before denying “anything remotely non-consensual happened”.
He also claimed the sexual assaults were “fabrications” and didn’t happen.
The trial continues.