Cambridgeshire Police Allow US Military to Prosecute Assault Case
Jacob Wulfson, an American fighter pilot, strangled a woman he met online but was tried at a US military court martial instead of facing prosecution in the UK.
Trial Details and Victim's Experience
The victim, Sarah Steele, was strangled by Wulfson in his Cambridge city centre apartment. The case was handed over to the US military, which tried Wulfson at RAF Lakenheath, a US airbase in Suffolk, rather than in a British court.
Wulfson was convicted in April 2026 of strangling Steele during their first in-person meeting after connecting on a dating app. He was acquitted of charges related to sexual penetration without consent and aggravated sexual contact, which in English law would likely be considered rape.
The court martial jury was composed entirely of male US Air Force officers stationed at the same base as Wulfson. They sentenced him to six months in a correctional facility.
Steele described her experience with the US military justice system as "degrading and distressing," stating it was unfamiliar and felt as though it "picked me up, chewed me out."
Concerns Over Jurisdiction and Police Decisions
's investigation into British crimes prosecuted on US military bases has raised widespread concern. The UK government has expressed that the situation is "deeply distressing," according to a spokesperson for the prime minister.
Cambridgeshire police acknowledged that shortly after the assault in 2023, they allowed the US military to take "investigative primacy" despite the crime occurring within their jurisdiction and the pilot being off duty.
The police reportedly accepted US military investigators' claim that Steele "did not want to be contacted" by local authorities. However, Steele has denied this claim, asserting it was false.
This decision enabled Wulfson to avoid British justice and be tried by the US military tribunal instead.
A US Air Force spokesperson stated they "negotiated jurisdiction" with local police, and that Cambridgeshire constabulary "agreed to let the USAF take the lead and was an active partner throughout the investigation."
Cambridgeshire police confirmed in a statement that it was "agreed" the USAF would take investigative primacy with support from the constabulary as needed. They cited information from the USAF indicating the victim did not wish to be contacted by local police and that key investigative steps had already been undertaken by the USAF. The police said their approach was "guided by a victim-led consideration."
Steele disputed that the police approach was victim-led, stating they did not contact her or consult her before handing over the investigation.
"I absolutely did not tell anyone then that I didn’t wish to speak to the British police,"
she said. In the days following the assault, she was deciding how to proceed, but the military investigation was progressing rapidly.
Jurisdictional Issues and US Military Influence
UK law enforcement is generally expected to have primary responsibility for investigating crimes committed off US bases by personnel who are off duty. However, in practice, the US appears to seek to maximize its jurisdiction, with British forces often ceding responsibility.
Steele, an academic, began communicating with Wulfson on Tinder in September 2023. After months of online interaction, they met at his flat on 1 December 2023. Wulfson was stationed at RAF Lakenheath, the largest US airbase in the UK, where he flew F-35 jets.
Within 48 hours of the incident, Steele’s friend, a US Air Force employee, took her to a sexual assault referral clinic and then to military police officers on a nearby US base on 3 December.
At that early stage, Steele was still considering whether to have Cambridgeshire police or the US Air Force's Office of Special Investigations (OSI) investigate. She expected a preliminary conversation but was formally interviewed by OSI officers.
Hours after the interview, OSI moved to take control, arresting Wulfson and notifying Cambridgeshire police that they would lead the investigation.
Steele was informed days later that Cambridgeshire police had ceded responsibility to OSI. She described this moment as "the train left the station."
In February 2024, Cambridgeshire police interacted with Steele following a disturbance involving Wulfson at her apartment. During a welfare check, they discussed the assault investigation.
Cambridgeshire police stated that during this visit, Steele confirmed she wished the matter to remain under USAF investigation.
Steele recalled that by then, nearly three months after the incident, she had resigned herself to the US military handling the case. She was concerned that if the USAF returned the case, the investigation would restart.
She also feared Wulfson might leave the UK if the military dropped the case, referencing Anne Sacoolas, a US intelligence official who fled the UK in 2019 after a fatal collision and later pleaded guilty via video link in a UK court.
Calls for Greater Scrutiny and Policy Contradictions
The key question for Cambridgeshire police is why they initially relinquished the case to the US military shortly after the assault.
Steele advocates for increased scrutiny of how UK police handle cases involving US military personnel, especially when the victim is a British citizen or unrelated to military activities.
She argues that police should formally record decisions to hand over cases to the US and consult victims beforehand.
Cambridgeshire police’s actions in December 2023 appear to contradict a policy prepared earlier that year by Norfolk and Suffolk police forces, which cover areas with several US airbases.
That policy stated they would "not usually waive jurisdiction" in favor of the US when "damage has been caused to the person or property of a United Kingdom citizen."
Political Responses
Labour MP Jess Phillips has pledged to reform the system, stating:
"No UK victim should be handed over to the US military for a crime committed on UK soil unless that is exactly what they want to happen."
Nick Timothy, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, where RAF Lakenheath is located, has written to the justice secretary demanding answers.
"This case should have been fully investigated by the English police and prosecuted in our courts,"
he wrote.
"I ask you urgently to review what happened in this case, confirm who decided to relinquish UK jurisdiction, and ensure that justice is served."
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