A Navy officer sexually assaulted a female colleague after a night of strip drinking games at Scotland’s main nuclear base, a court martial heard.
Sub Lieutenant Samuel Tagliaferri, 27, allegedly attacked the woman after she fell asleep in her room at Faslane.
She awoke to him trying to put his hands down her shorts, kissing her neck and grabbing her bottom, the court heard, before angrily telling him to “f*** off”.
The court martial heard the alleged attack took place after a number of officers had gathered in Tagliaferri’s room at the Clyde Royal Navy base.
The group – including the female sailor – spent the evening playing drinking games, the court was told.
The alleged victim, who can’t be named for legal reasons, yesterday told how these included games where sailors had to strip and card game Ring of Fire – all with the aim of getting players to drink more.
She said: “We were playing some stupid drinking games like (one where) you had to take your top off. Some people ended up taking their trousers off.”
The court heard the woman had drunk two bottles of wine and became upset, leading to Tagliaferri walking her back to her cabin. The court heard the woman changed into pyjamas and went to bed but was awoken by Tagliaferri allegedly sexually assaulting her, having taken his trousers off.
The woman said: “I said ‘stop’ I also tried to move his hand out. When I said stop the first time, he said nothing and then the second time he said nothing.”
When asked how she felt, the woman said: “I was just angry and disgusted.”
In a police interview played to the court, Tagliaferri said nothing sexual happened, adding: “I remember playing with her hair and tickling her back and her doing the same to me. There was nothing I’d have thought was sexual touching.”
Tagliaferri denies sexual assault. The trial continues.
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