A military judge has said RAF officers must stop exposing themselves to female colleagues, describing such behaviour as arrogant, juvenile, immature and not funny.
Assistant judge advocate general Jane England spoke as she dismissed an officer for exposing himself to two civilian female bar staff as they worked at a military party.
Flt Lt Richard Aldridge, who had served in Iraq and Syria, was found guilty at a court martial of placing his testicles on a bar during a summer ball.
England, Britain’s only female military judge, said: “This is not the first case involving a male Royal Air Force officer at the mess. It is certainly not the first court martial for a Royal Air Force officer exposing [themselves]. It needs to stop. It isn’t funny behaviour. It is incredibly juvenile and immature behaviour.”
England said the two women working at the bar “should not have to endure such behaviour at the work place”.
She added: “It is arrogant behaviour because it is forcing someone else to see something they do not want to see.”
During his trial at Bulford in Wiltshire, the military court heard the incident happened during an officers’ mess event Aldridge helped organise at MoD Boscombe Down, near Amesbury.
Aldridge, 39, exposed himself immediately after overhearing the two women complain servicemen had previously flashed at them.
Capt Rebecca Slee, prosecuting, said: “They had talked about previous incidents of exposure, and said they hoped nothing like that would happen tonight.
“Flt Lt Aldridge was at the bar and overheard the conversation. He then exposed his testicles and put them on the bar.”
Giving evidence, one of the women said she told him: “That’s inappropriate, put them away.” She said he was laughing.
Aldridge denied the charge, claiming he was “not flexible enough” to have performed the manoeuvre and his uniform was too tight.
He had told the court: “I was drunk – at these events, that happens. There were cocktails and beers served at the event, and I ordered shots like Jägerbombs from the bar.” He insisted he had not exposed himself.
After a three-day trial, Aldridge was found guilty of a charge of exposure. He was cleared of another charge of sexual assault on a woman.
At the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Maj James Eveleigh said the services have a “zero tolerance approach to sexual offences and inappropriate behaviour”.
In addition to being dismissed, Aldridge was ordered to carry out a 10-month community order.
An RAF spokesperson said: “The whole of defence is committed to crack down on unacceptable sexual behaviour and has a zero tolerance policy, cases like this send a clear signal to everyone in the armed forces that such behaviour will not be tolerated.”
