A British Army intelligence expert allegedly begged a young female private for a ‘goodnight snog,’ as he forced himself on her after walking back from a Jagerbomb-fuelled party on a ski trip, a court martial has heard.
Warrant Officer Paul Tate is said to have backed the female soldier against a minibus and warned her ‘don’t make me push you to the floor,’ while on an Intelligence Corps trip to Austria.
The woman told a panel WO Tate, who was a staff sergeant at the time, repeatedly tried to kiss her, leaving her ‘really angry and shocked’.
The 42-year-old admits to trying to kiss her on the cheek, but denies a charge of sexual assault.
British Army intelligence expert Paul Tate denies sexually assaulting a younger private during a ski trip in Austria. She claims the 42-year-old warned: ‘Don’t make me push you to the floor,’ after she tried to stop him from kissing her
Prosecutor Captain James Farrant said they shared ‘flirty banter’ and jokes with ‘sexual innuendos’ while socialising on the night of the incident.
The group eventually moved to another bar where the mood was said to be still ‘jovial’ but ‘a little bit more touchy-feely by that stage’.
However, the woman said that ‘no boundaries had been crossed’.
The court heard that she announced to the group that she was going back to her apartment at about 9pm, at which point WO Tate said he would go with her, because his apartment was on the way to hers.
Warrant Officer Tate, pictured arriving at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire was acting as an instructor on an Intelligence Corps ski trip in Austria when the alleged sexual assault took place
Capt Farrant said: ‘Once they reached (his) apartment, he initiated a hug to say goodbye and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She still thought this was ok.
‘It is at this stage that things go a little wrong.
‘After (he) had hugged her for a few seconds he tried to kiss her on the lips. She told him firmly and clearly she did not want him to do so.
‘He asked her to “give me a good night snog” or words to that effect. Again she made clear she didn’t want to do that.
‘His tongue touched her cheek and closed mouth. She moved her head from side to side to try and stop him from doing that.
‘She backed into a mini bus which was parked outside his apartment. She was stuck and he continually tried to put his tongue in her mouth.
‘She tried to say no but didn’t want to open her mouth and let him succeed.’
The alleged victim told the court that during the sessions she had been drinking Jäger bombs and Glühwein, a type of mulled wine, and that WO Tate was drinking Jägermeister as well.
She said she was ‘tipsy’ but that she had a perfect recollection of the night.
She claimed that as the evening wore on ‘it got more touchy feely… he was touching my waist and my bum’.
Describing the moment WO Tate tried to kiss her, she said: ‘I kept saying no. I remember saying no multiple times and trying to move my head away.
WO Tate, who is now a part of the 14 Signal Regiment, accepts he tried to kiss her on the cheek but denies sexual assault.
‘It carried on and I started backing away. He started getting more forceful.’
She said she kept backing away but got ‘trapped’ against the mini bus.
‘He kept trying to kiss me, his face was right up against my face and I kept trying to move my face left and right. His tongue was on my cheek.
‘He said: “Oh, come on, don’t make me push you to the floor”.
‘That’s the point I was like… I don’t know how to get out of this situation.’
At that point, she said a colleague walked around the corner and the pair went their separate ways.
The incident was reported the following morning.
While she was speaking to another officer the next day about what had happened, WO Tate walked around the corner.
She said that he pulled her aside for a chat when she had finished speaking to the officer and said ‘sorry for last night, I was a d******’.
WO Tate, who is now a part of the 14 Signal Regiment, accepts he tried to kiss her on the cheek but denies sexual assault.
The trial continues.