A female Royal Navy sailor denies groping male and female shipmates, saying they made up their claims because she is ‘loud and opinionated’, a court martial has heard.
Able Seaman Sian Dowsett, 25, is accused of carrying out a string of ‘opportunistic’ attacks on four fellow servicemen and women on a warship.
Two male and two female colleagues on HMS Dauntless reported having their nipples, bottoms, breasts and crotches squeezed and pinched.
But the sailor claimed the complaints are part of a ‘conspiracy’ against her – and that she did not ‘fancy’ any of her fellow soldiers.
AB Dowsett appeared at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire on Wednesday where she denied seven counts of sexual assault.
Military prosecutors said her offences ‘ranged from nipple pinching to bottom slapping and genital grabbing’.
She is accused of grabbing the male sailors by their crotch, stroking their arms, and making remarks such as ‘I like my coffee how I like my men, big and strong’.
AB Dowsett also allegedly slapped one man’s bottom on three separate occasions.
Able Seaman Sian Dowsett (pictured), 25, is accused of carrying out a string of ‘opportunistic’ attacks on four fellow servicemen and women on a warship
But she said he made up this accusation because she reported ‘his best friend for buying cocaine in Colombia’.
The sailor, who has ‘bisexual tendencies’, also allegedly smacked the women’s bottoms and squeezed their breasts, saying ‘do you like that baby girl?’.
Giving evidence, AB Dowsett told the court there were ‘rumours’ about her on the ship and she was hated for being ‘loud in general’.
Asked why colleagues would make up allegations, she said: ‘Because I was loud and opinionated and I did my job and they all said I didn’t get into trouble for things.
‘I was loud and confident and know what was right from wrong. I am just a loud person in general.’
Prosecutor Graham Coombes said: ‘What you are suggesting is they have made a false report initially.
‘They have then got together with somebody else to say they have witnessed it.
‘They have then gone to the service police and lied to the service police.
‘They have then maintained that lie throughout the proceedings and then they have lied during court proceedings.
‘And you say they are doing that because you are a bit opinionated.’
AB Dowsett claimed her shipmates began the ‘conspiracy’ against her when she left the warship to work on HMS Drake.
She said they disliked her by the time she quit and so submitted false complaints about her.
The first assault allegedly happened two weeks into the deployment of HMS Dauntless.
She is said to have slapped the bottom of a fellow Able Seaman in the galley as he was leaning over to write a list, leaving him ‘stunned’.
A week later, AB Dowsett reportedly slapped his bottom again in the galley in front of another sailor. It is also claimed to have happened a third time.
She denied she ever slapped him on the bottom, saying: ‘I don’t know why he said that. Only the fact that I had reported his best friend for buying cocaine in Colombia.
The sailor (pictured outside court) appeared at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire on Wednesday where she denied seven counts of sexual assault
‘That would have given [him] and [his friend] an excuse to come together and make up the allegations.’
AB Dowsett was also accused of grabbing a petty officer’s breasts and ‘caressing her nipple’ between her thumb and finger, while saying ‘do you like that baby girl?’
She told the court: ‘I would never use that terminology.’
On a separate occasion, the sailor was said to have told a male Leading Hand: ‘I like my coffee how I like my men, big and strong.’
AB Dowsett said she did not drink coffee and would not make comments like that to either male or female shipmates.
She also denied telling a male sailor he had ‘lovely skin’ and pinching his nipple.
It was also claimed she grabbed the same sailor’s genitals, which was witnessed by his friend.
But AB Dowsett claimed the pair had conspired together against her: ‘They do work together.
‘They do share the same mess, and they do go out together a lot of the time, so it is a bit of a conspiracy if you ask me.’
Mr Coombes said she also ‘slapped the bottom’ of a female Able Seaman, who had only joined the ship three days prior, while she was lying on her bed.
AB Dowsett said she had not been in the same cabin as this other sailor that evening because she was new to the ship and wanted to give her ‘space’.
She said she was ‘surprised’ to learn of some of the allegations.
The sailor explained: ‘Yes, I was surprised because we were friends. I was still going about being friendly with these people. Talking to them and being nice to them.’
But Mr Coombes said: ‘Basically, over the period we were dealing with you were going around the ship sexually assaulting anybody that you fancied.’
AB Dowsett denied being sexually attracted to anyone involved in the allegations.
She said: ‘I didn’t fancy anybody onboard HMS Dauntless and I didn’t sexually assault anybody onboard HMS Dauntless.’
But this came as she also admitted having a sexual relationship with a gunner on the ship but said they booked a hotel room and it was consensual.
During her police interview, she said she had ‘bisexual tendencies’ in the past.
Giving evidence, however, she said that was in 2020 – and that she is now in a committed relationship with a man.
The trial continues.
