A British academic who was assaulted by a United States Air Force pilot has called for greater transparency over how criminal cases involving visiting American military personnel are transferred from British police forces to the US military justice system.

The comments follow the court martial of Capt. Jacob Wulfson, a US Air Force pilot stationed in the United Kingdom, who was convicted of strangulation after an incident involving the academic during their first face-to-face meeting.

The case has renewed attention on legal arrangements governing US service personnel stationed on British soil and the process through which British authorities transfer criminal investigations to American military prosecutors.

Speaking after the proceedings, the victim said decisions by UK police forces to relinquish jurisdiction in such cases should be subject to greater public scrutiny, particularly when alleged offences involve British citizens.

She argued that the expanding presence of US military personnel in Britain makes it essential to establish a transparent and consistent framework governing how police forces determine whether investigations should remain within the UK criminal justice system or be handled by the US military.

“If we’re going to host these foreign forces here and they’re going to have an increasing presence in our country, I think there’s a necessity that we have a really clear, transparent, focused process by which constabularies hand over these cases,” she said.

The case has drawn wider attention because it involves the interaction between British law enforcement authorities and the US military justice system operating under agreements governing American personnel stationed overseas.

Under existing defence arrangements between the United Kingdom and the United States, some offences involving US service members may be prosecuted through the American military justice system rather than British civilian courts, depending on the nature of the offence and jurisdictional decisions made by the relevant authorities.

The victim, who holds a doctorate in law and has taught at several universities across the United Kingdom, said her professional research focuses on sexual safety and the prevention of violence against women and girls.

She noted that while her academic work provided an informed understanding of the issues raised by the case, experiencing the legal process personally had been particularly difficult.

According to evidence presented during the court martial, Wulfson assaulted the woman during their first in-person meeting.

Military prosecutors also alleged that Wulfson had drugged the woman before penetrating her vagina without her consent. Those allegations were prosecuted as charges of sexual assault and aggravated sexual contact under the US military justice system.

The military court ultimately acquitted Wulfson of those sexual assault-related charges after considering the evidence presented during the proceedings.
Wulfson was, however, convicted on the separate charge of strangulation.

Throughout the trial, the defence rejected the allegations made against the pilot. Wulfson’s lawyer told the court martial that his client had been “falsely accused” and was “unequivocally not guilty.”

Following his conviction on the strangulation charge, Wulfson addressed the military court before sentencing proceedings continued.

The case has prompted broader discussion among legal observers regarding jurisdictional arrangements governing foreign military personnel stationed in Britain, particularly where alleged offences involve British nationals and investigations initially fall under the responsibility of UK police forces.

The victim said increased transparency would strengthen public confidence in the handling of such cases by ensuring decisions over jurisdiction are open to examination rather than being made without public understanding of the criteria involved.

Her comments also reflect wider debates over accountability mechanisms applying to foreign military personnel operating under bilateral defence agreements, particularly as the United Kingdom continues to host significant numbers of US service members at military installations across the country.