Army’s let-off for girl soldier in ‘sex attack’ on male guard
A FEMALE soldier serving with Prince Harry’s old regiment was let off with a warning after she allegedly molested a male colleague in a guard room, it was reported yesterday.
Corrie-Alice Holmes, 25, was said to have upset the young soldier when she pressed against him and tried to kiss him at the Household Cavalry barracks, close to Windsor Castle, in Berkshire.
His protests and cries for help alerted comrades and Trooper Holmes was reprimanded by senior officers the following day, according to a report.
The decision reportedly outraged comrades of the male trooper, who are said to have accused the top brass of being unduly lenient towards Trooper Holmes because she is a woman.
A junior commander at the barracks is said to have caused more fury by allegedly telling the male trooper to “man up” and “stop complaining”.
The attack is alleged to have occurred in the early hours of Sunday, January 13, at Combermere Barracks, less than a mile from Windsor Castle. Trooper Holmes, who had been out with friends, is said to have asked to speak to a soldier on guard duty but was refused entry to the guard room.
However, she managed to sneak into the secure area through a different entrance, it was reported.
A barracks source said: “The male soldier was lying on a bed in the guard room. She leant over him, placing her arms either side, basically pinning him down.
“He asked her to leave him alone but she carried on. They then went outside and she was seen rubbing herself against him and trying to kiss him.
“He called out, ‘Help me!’ Eventually, the guard commander pulled her away.”
The source added: “The blokes felt she had really been let off lightly and that if one of them had done it to a woman they’d have been in huge trouble.”
Comrades of the male trooper pointed to the 2017 case of an Army private who was found guilty of groping a female officer in a nightclub when they had both been drinking.
He was jailed for nine months by a military court and dismissed from the Army.
An Army spokesman said: “We expect very high standards of behaviour of our personnel, whether on or off duty.”
The Household Cavalry is described on the Ministry of Defence website as “one of the oldest regiments in the British Army, dating back to 1660”.
It is made up of two famous old regiments – the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals.
Prince Harry served with the Blues and Royals for 10 years, rising to the rank of captain. He took part in two tours of Afghanistan with the regiment and wore the uniform of the Blues and Royals at his wedding last year.
The Household Cavalry and five regiments of foot guards make up the Household Division
– the Queen’s official bodyguards.