Army suspends colonel who ‘groped’ woman at barracks

A HIGHLY decorated officer accused of groping a woman’s breasts at a regimental dinner has been suspended by the Army.

Col John Musgrave, 53, has been removed from his post as head of the School of Artillery pending an investigation, after an accusation involving the 24-year-old civilian girlfriend of one of his junior officers.

The alleged incident took place on Oct 20 after a dinner attended by wives and girlfriends at Larkhill Barracks, Wilts.

A source from the dinner, which was attended by Col Musgrave’s wife, told Mailonline: “The meal was over and, as is usual on these occasions, a lot of drink had been taken.

“Col Musgrave had been drinking and was heard making sexually inappropriate comments to a female visitor about her breasts. He was then seen pulling the woman out of the room and into a corridor.

“That is when another senior officer stepped in. He wasn’t intimidated by the rank and decided to do something and told the colonel to leave.”

The woman’s boyfriend is a lowerranking officer, a 2nd Lieutenant, who was said to be angry over the incident, but had not confronted his superior officer.

An Army spokesman said: “We can confirm that a member of staff from the Royal School of Artillery has been suspended pending an investigation. Anybody who falls short of the Army’s high standards will be dealt with and may face sanctions including dismissal.”