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A former Major General who carried Prince Philip’s coffin has avoided an immediate prison term after he drunkenly touched and tried to kiss a woman in a karaoke bar.
James Roddis admitted “repeatedly playing with the hair before kissing” a woman on her lips without consent while leading an overseas military delegation.
He had originally been charged with sexual assault, but at a plea hearing earlier this year he pleaded guilty to disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind, a lesser charge accepted by the complainant.
At a court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire on Thursday, Roddis, who resigned from the Army in July, wassentenced to six months’ imprisonment suspended for two years.
Graham Coombes, prosecuting, said the married father of three had been drinking with the delegation off duty before moving on to a restaurant and finally a karaoke bar where they downed glasses of champagne.
“The complainant accepts she was drunk, and it became apparent the accused was also drunk,” Mr Coombes said.
Shortly after midnight, a member of the party was filming the filling of a champagne fountain and in the background Roddis can be seen touching the complainant’s hair and she indicates with her finger for him to stop.
The court heard the kiss was not captured on film but the lead up to it was.
Mr Coombes told the court the woman later messaged her husband, telling him: “Just because you are a two-star general you don’t get to touch me.”
The following day, the woman asked to speak to Roddis in private on the flight home and told him his behaviour the previous evening was unacceptable.
“The accused apologised and replied, ‘I need to resign’,” Mr Coombes said.
The court heard Roddis had a distinguished military career lasting 29 years and had been made an MBE and awarded several medals.
Jane Bickerstaff KC, defending, said Roddis had recently been diagnosed with alcohol dependency.
“He has been through a formal disciplinary process and his commission has been revoked,” she said.
“He is not allowed to refer to himself as having been a major general in the Army.
“This conduct taking place over a few minutes has resulted in the loss of a career that he spent 30 years building – a distinguished career in which he has received a number of citations.
“You will appreciate that he has lost not only his career but the future potential prospects of that career.
“When one appreciates, as James Roddis does, that one only has one’s self to blame, it is a bitter pill to swallow.”
Miss Bickerstaff said other people present in the bar heard Roddis apologise immediately to the woman after kissing her and said he was sorry for “misreading the situation”.
“He was unaware she wanted him to stop and there was no request until the point of the kiss and when he tried to kiss her and got nothing back he immediately realised it was not wanted and he apologised,” she said.
“He has never suggested she was consenting and as soon as she realised she wasn’t, he stopped.”
The complainant cannot be identified due to a court order.
Roddis received a number of accolades during his military career, including a Distinguished Service Order – an award given for highly successful command and leadership during active operations.
He was made an MBE and also earned two Queen’s Commendations for Valuable Service in 2008 and 2017.
Until recently, he was director of strategy for Strategic Command – an organisation made up of special forces and intelligence units among other responsibilities.
In 2014, he was commanding officer of The Highlanders – troops from the 4th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland – who were then the last Scottish battalion to serve in a combat role in Afghanistan.
